


Jaunty

by Averia



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Grayson (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Dark, Family, Friendship, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Organized Crime, References to Canon, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-04-10 21:11:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4407845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averia/pseuds/Averia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>“You would be the perfect match as a brother to Jason and Damian. Making cheeky remarks but losing spectacularly.”</em><br/> </p><p>The Titans Club had been a secure haven for Dick until the Mafia Family protecting them is thrown into a crisis. Now he has to deal with the Mob Boss Bruce Wayne, who might be the death of him.   </p><p>Explicit Sexual Content & Graphic Depiction Of Violence in Later Chapters</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first longer english Fanfiction.  
> If someone would like to beta the Fanfiction I would be delighted. :)

He knew the man was trouble the moment he saw him. The leather jacket and the combat boots did not mean much in their environment but the way Roy’s eyes were narrowed and focused solely on him made him easily into potential danger. The impression increased, even more, when he saw Kory just three steps away, her teeth bared and one hand balled into a fist. Their eyes met.

“Some punk who thinks he can tell us what to do. He’s a leech” Kory hissed when they passed each other and Dick raised his eyebrows at the choice of words. Sometimes Kory still used unusual terms at least they were graphic enough to understand them which could only mean the man was really out for blood. A slight smirk settled on his lips, this would turn out to be interesting.    

Roy glanced at him when he stopped beside him. He calculated the stranger. The white streak stood out and Dick wondered which trauma would have taken such a great toll. Noticing the guns was no task. They bulged out under the man’s clothes like a status symbol.

„Who are you?“

The man barked out a laugh, a grin easily slipping on his lips.

„You are the boss of this establishment? Shouldn’t you be the one spreading your legs?” the man leaned forward just a slight bit, the smile increasing “Hmmm, no. I guess you do it free.”

Dick raised an eyebrow at the man’s antics and while it irked him he stayed calm. He had heard those words often enough. They all had heard them at one point in their lives. They looked too harmless and had a club in the right neighbourhood but something smelled foul. The words seemed strange, _forced_ as if the man had not even meant to say them. Still, Roy was already bubbling with rage beside him. It would do nobody any good if the red head exploded just because the stranger had never learned to shut up.

“What do you want?” he demanded, his voice taking on a darker and lower tone. The voice he had learned to use all those years ago to make others listen to him. To let them forget that they would do everything not to follow orders. The man stared at him. Dick would have missed the slight widening of his eyes if they had not stood as near. A pissed look settled on his face as if he had personally offended him and an anger rivalling Roy’s took over his features. It only served to let the redhead behind him tense even more. 

“Well, if you are so desperate to know. You better listen to what I have to say” the man hissed tapping one finger against his gun “From now on this territory belongs to the Wayne and if you little fuckers have a problem with that you might just say it right now.”  

Dick’s eyes narrowed. This explained why Kory had been angry. Wayne was not a family they wanted anything to do with and this man acted as if they already owned the place. This was territory far away from the Wayne and belonged to the Castillo, the old family of Gotham new that. Did this man even belong to the Wayne? Was this only some test of courage? He was not ready for shit like this so early in the morning.

The man seemed to see his defiance because the gun was out of the holster in moments, still too slow for Dick’s speed and knowledge. He grasped the hand and directed the barrel at the wall behind him, the shot not able to go off before he had twisted the others hand and tugging him forward to let him loose his balance. His knee met his groin in a harsh thrust. Dick knew exactly how much it would hurt.

“Listen _punk_. I don’t care who you think you are” he growled, leaning over the man who clutched his crotch in one hand and stared up at him with rage on his face “But I would not try to threaten me or any of my people again, or I swear: You won’t be able to get _that_ up again in your lifetime.”  

The man bared his teeth, spitting at his feet.

“ _That_ was a mistake.”     


	2. Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll use Raven's alias Rachel Roth as her primary name if it's not too confusing for you.

The evenings were slow, languid even. It was the bistro ambient with grandmother’s cookies but also the club's own exotic charm. The nights were different. It was then that the ambient changed to the wicked everyone associated with the mafia.

A few new faces had come today, clearly amazed by the interior. They were an establishment for amusement. The Titans Club had it all, from bar to casino to stage and bistro. They were a Gangster’s Paradise how everyone wanted it, at least one of their guests had phrased it like this once before dying through drug consume.

He was looking over the club from his usual place in the upper area, always an eye out for the trouble his men and women would not be able to see through the crowd when the door opened. His eyes widened, recognizing the man in the expensive suit. Bruce Wayne. The curse caught between his lips when dread filled him, his thoughts jumping back to the event only a day before. He ignored it, relaxed and strolled calmly down the stairs. At least the stranger was not with him today. Only one bodyguard followed a step behind him, a young woman he had heard about. She was more dangerous than she seemed. He nodded at Donna to take over his watch and motioned for Roy to stay back while he smiled at the head of the most dangerous and most influential family of Gotham.

“Mister Wayne, what an honour to have such a high guest,” he said smiling, trying to hide the nervousness and fear settling deep in his stomach. The man was not known taking violence against his own kindly. Bruce smiled back in a way Dick had seen too often in his life. Fake smiles, he had learned what they meant as a young child. They were the worst especially when he could not see behind them.

“I’m sure you know why I am here.”

He knew a warning when he heard it no matter how subliminal it was. The slight rumble in his voice and the tenseness spoke volumes.

“Naturally,” he responded reassuringly “if you would follow me.”

Dick’s skin crawled when Bruce' eyes stayed on his back the entire time. It did nothing to soothe his mind. He opened the door to his office. It was slight satisfaction when he saw how Bruce’ eyes focused on the one-way glass covering the wall, a nice and simple trick to keep an eye on the club.

“Take a seat if you like Mister Wayne,” Dick said gesturing to the chair in front of his desk while his hand lingered on his own. Bruce looked at him for a moment waiting for him to sit down first but Dick just calmly smiled back. Doing this job had thought him that it was always a risk to have a disadvantage, even such a small one. He would not let anyone overthrow his power in his own office.

Bruce eyes slowly raked over his body, scrutinizing him from head to toe, taking his time as if the man wanted to dissect him. It was a strange feeling. He could not remember when he had last felt this vulnerable from just a look. The darker eyes caught onto his and Dick dug his nails into the upholstery of his chair. If he looked away the whole act would be for nothing. But Bruce was nothing but intimidating and it was hard to hold the gaze. His skin itched, his flight instinct kicking in much more prominently than his fight instinct but running was never a good choice if you stood in front of a predator.

Bruce finally settled down, Dick following more hastily than he had wanted. The Boss sat in his chair as if it was his office casually leaning back and his hands locked over his knee. Not feeling the man’s eyes on him should have been a relief but it felt like even more of a threat because now he was looking through the glass, where Dick knew Donna stood to keep an eye on things. Dick tried to relax but his shoulders remained tense and his back straight. Why had he not said a word?

“Would you like something to drink, Mr. Wayne?”

Bruce looked at him again in a swift motion and the dangerous edge was back full force when he leaned slightly forward.

“I do not intend to stay long,” said Bruce slowly, intently.

Dick raised an eyebrow and a soft smile stretched his lips when he leaned forward as well and hit the connection button for the bar. It was more a precaution than courage. If he leaned forward he would not lean back. Leaning back would mean defeat, would mean submission.

“Rachel. Be so kind and bring up one _Sazerac_ and one _Negroni_.”

As long as he had a chance to even the power play out he would do it. He would not win. He knew that but he could try to play damage control like he had done all his life.

“I realise something went wrong when your man visited us and it was _my_ mistake” he confessed when he disconnected the speaker to the bar “but this is the Castillo territory.”

“Not anymore” Bruce retorted instantly and Dick could not stop his eyes from widening and a breathless ‘What’ tumbled out of his mouth. Something like satisfaction flared up in Bruce’ eyes for the blink of a moment but then it faded and Dick tried to formulate a retort. He was saved by Rachel and thanked his people for their fast work. Rachel placed down the Sazerac in front of Bruce and the Negroni in front of him. She was better at knowing people than anyone he knew. She felt the tension. He knew it without looking at her and subtly shook his head. He did not need her right now. She left silently, only glancing at the silent bodyguard before the door fell closed.

He decided to say nothing about the matter. It was better to let him elaborate. He leaned back and watched Bruce sip on the Sazerac, a thoughtful look in the man’s eyes. Fake like the smile.

“I love a good drink once in a while. It would be a shame to put the club down.”

Dick’s eyes narrowed hating how he had phrased it, how much the man was already threatening them. It irked Dick that he could not see behind the mask. He felt as if every step could be the wrong move. Why was he here? He did not appear to be overly angry if at all. Dick had known enough men like him in his life to know when they were. His younger years had involved waking up on the verge of breaking physically and mentally often enough.

“Even if the Castillo Family has lost this territory the club is still under the protection of the Bertinelli.”

Bruce placed the drink down, their eyes meeting again.

“This is where you are mistaken. This is my territory now and I do not share.”

Dick bit the inside of his lips trying to stay calm and controlled. Why was this man so damn cryptic if this was obviously something concerning them?

“We were neither contacted about a change of territory nor that the Bertinelli are not our patrons anymore.”

“You were contacted yesterday by one of my men,” Bruce said slowly and Dick gritted his teeth, ignoring the danger like he always did when flying high. He was in Bruce Wayne’s face in a matter of seconds.

“Your man” he growled standing, his hand pressing down onto the table, eyes fixed on the impassive face “threatened my men and women. He was dealt with how I deal with danger. Next time you should send someone better fit for the job.”

Bruce' eyes narrowed and Dick gritted his teeth.

“He will be dealt with accordingly,” Bruce said and then he rose slightly “Now. Sit. Down.”

Dick stared into the eyes mere centimetres in front of him, eyes widening in terror when a memory flashed through his mind. He was sure Bruce noticed the slight hitch in his breath. Teeth clenched he followed the command. Bruce looked down at him one brow twitching as if he wanted to ask about the slip-up but Dick was more concerned with him not sitting down again until the man finally did.

“Your club is known around Gotham for its excellence and especially you are held in high regard. Do not disappoint me.”

Dick knew when he had lost and that he most likely would not get any information out of the man. Finding out how the territory had changed without any of the two families contacting him would need a call.

“How much will your protection cost?”

“I want to see the contract you had with the Castillo and the Bertinelli.”

Dick stood up from his seat feeling both pairs of eyes following his every move. He had nearly forgotten that the woman was still in here. He took the binder out and brought both papers back to his desk. He hesitated to sit back down but one look from the older male made his decision very easy.

He hid his hands under the table drumming on his knee when Bruce looked the papers over in silence not a twitch in his features. The silence stretched and he was tempted to look out the window, to control if everything was alright with his territory but it would show his distress too much. His gaze swept to the woman who had not moved since coming in. He had heard about her abilities from both his enemies and allies. She had been trained by one of the deadliest Assassins known to them and he had heard the rumours. She could read humans as if they were books. It probably came from spectacular deception skills and empathy, good that he had his own empath. He would have to ask Rachel about her thoughts. Looking at the younger women reminded him of long forgotten memories of Rachel and even himself. He smiled at her and, after a blink, she softly smiled back. The hesitant show of emotion seemed like a stark contrast to her otherwise determined presence.

When he looked back, Bruce was already watching him again but in a way Dick could not decipher completely. The papers were pushed back at him and it was gone.

“The Wayne Family will get the exclusive attention your Club gave both and we will obey the demands mentioned. No harm will come to any of your men and women.”

Dick nodded because he would not be able to do anything else.

“You will punish them how you see fit if they misbehave but if they kill a member of my family you will be killed instead of the one responsible”, Bruce recited and for the first time he looked satisfied instead of just dangerous, “Who came up with that rule?”

“I have full faith in the members of my _family_.”

“It’s either faith or stupidity” Bruce concluded but did not try to change the demand. Dick was relieved by his reaction. He had fought about this rule too often with everyone. He knew his family. He knew some of them were too stupid to think about rules with their own life on the line. He had no intention of losing any of them. Perhaps it was selfish but he had seen too much in his life to help them throw theirs away.

“I want to get full curriculum vitae from every worker in this Club.”

“No.”

They stared at each other.

“No?” Bruce asked slowly.

Dick did not even have to think about it. He would not give sensitive information to anyone who could easily use it against them. He did not trust Bruce Wayne one bit. The man had done nothing to earn his trust, quite the contrary. 

Bruce folded his hands over his legs.

“No?” he questioned, “Do you think I wanted to hear a no?”

Dick’s eyes narrowed. This was not only business this was about his family.

“I don't care what you wanted to hear. Not in this matter” he said firmly standing up “I also don’t care who you are.”

He knew this could be his last show of defiance but he was not ready to back down. This was too important. Their past was theirs. Bruce stood up as well, his body tense. He barely saw the quick gesture for his bodyguard to stay back before Bruce was on him. He ducked under the fist which instead nearly smashed into the glass and blocked the knee advancing to his stomach but his hand was caught when he brought it up to connect it with the square chin. He was thrown against the glass face first barely managing to turn his head before any damage could happen. His hand was held up behind him, pressed against his body and he hissed when Bruce pushed it slightly upwards. How he hated joint locks, they were a bitch to get out of. Caught between the glass and Bruce' body he at least could look into the club for the first time and see that everything was alright. He gazed over his shoulder at the stronger male, a mocking smile on his lips.

“Do you really believe this has not happened before? Nothing you will do will change my mind” he said raising a brow smugly and pressed back against the unyielding body, a hum left his lips “But be my guest and humour me.”

Bruce pushed him back against the glass _hard_ not even flinching. Right, Selina probably flirted with the man on a daily basis. He was used to more obscene advances. His head was roughly pulled back by his hair while Bruce pushed the arm up, even more jolts of pain striking through his body with every millimetre it went up. He gritted his teeth as hard as he could and breathed trough his nose, restraining the scream from break free.

“No” he gritted out and he was sure Bruce would break his arm when the grip got stronger for a moment but then he let go. Dick leaned back one hand placed onto the glass and watched Bruce through his reflection for a moment, turning around before Bruce could stop him. He leaned back against the glass to look up at the boss, assessing what the action had changed. The man looked irritated but not angry. It was strange. Everything seemed strange. Bruce had not even tried to threaten him with an attack against his whole family and a broken arm was a rather cute convincing method at least to him.

“Your club members are capable fighters. Which members of my family could whom protect?”

Dick did not know why this was now a better question or why the man had let his reluctance slide but he would not be the one to complain. For now.

“All my men and women would be able to defend your closest confidantes.”

Before Bruce could even raise that eyebrow he had swept his feet out under him and pinned him down on the floor. If the man wanted to know their skill set he could have just asked. This was becoming more trouble with every second and Dick liked it less every second too. Bruce looked up at him, that undefined expression in his eyes that made Dick sick.

“This explains why Jason was taken down easily” he mused and then suddenly Dick found himself breathless on the floor Bruce pressing him down with a hand around his throat.

“Do not do this _ever_ again.”

He knew enough ways to get out of the grip but it would probably not be the best way to show that he was willing to accept the terms. He croaked out a yes and Bruce released him again.

“I want the papers to be finished by Monday,” said Bruce when they both stood again.

Dick looked after the two, his eyes following them through the window until they had left the club. He leaned back in his chair and hoped his throat would not bruise, he could still feel the fingers digging into his skin. His gaze fell onto the Negroni. He had not even taken a sip while the Sazerac was empty.


	3. Friends

On any normal day the Bertinelli boss was still in her office at this hour and he hoped she was now. He was not happy at all about this. The transition should and could have gone much smoother. Thankfully he did not have to wait long for Helena to pick up her phone.

“Hey Dick, you don’t have good timing today.”

Helena seemed stressed but he was in no mood to be considerate.

“Why did nobody tell me that the territory belongs to the Wayne all of a sudden!” he growled, standing up from his seat and looking out of the glass to the Club, the nervous energy wanting to be let out. Silence filled the other end of the phone.

“Helena!” he hissed his thumb pressing down on his index finger. Had there been a conflict he did not know about between one of his family and Helena’s? Was she angry at him for some unknown reason? Was their alliance broken? He tried to push the questions back. Helena and he had been friends and sometimes lovers long enough to talk about issues and she would not hide something like this from him, especially if she was angry. Not if it could have meant great harm or death for a member of his family.

“Shit!” Helena growled from the other end and he could hear something shatter “I’m so sorry Dick. I talked to the Castillo about staying your patron and _they_ legalized it. The Wayne apparently did not.”  

It was good to hear she still had his back but the new information did not make the circumstances easier.

“What’s going on Helena? Why a change of territory?”

“You were not contacted at all?” she asked shocked and she seemed even angrier when she spoke on, “ _Questo bastardo._ José should have told you about it. He is the new boss.”

He knew José was merely a child and probably did not even know what he was doing, which meant somebody else was influencing him. Seeing how it had ended with their club in the hands of the Wayne family it was someone that wanted to destroy the influence of the Castillo or favoured the Wayne.

“What happened? Your version of the events. Please.”

Helena sighed.

“It’s a disaster. Darío seemingly tried to take over I don’t know the details. They were in a restaurant when both sides shot at each other. The old leader’s side won but they lost him and his wife. His right hand is currently in a coma. No one knows if he will wake up again and even if he does it won’t happen soon.”

“They destroyed each other” Dick concluded and the Wayne had seen the opportunity. He could not see José winning against Bruce Wayne and the family would have lost the territory anyway. If the top brass had died than many other members had been killed too, which meant they were not as strong as before. The circumstances did nothing to apologize that he had not known about anything but at least he now knew the reason. If it had been something this big and he had not heard about it, it had to be a recent event. Bruce Wayne had most likely caught the family off guard just like him. The family member from before had been a diversion, it would explain why he had come alone. He had only been the precursor getting them into a disadvantage because they would have to admit failure. Bruce had not been angry because he had anticipated, had actually wanted the outcome. His grip on the phone hardened and an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. This man could crumble everything they had been building for years. No ties and alliances would help him against the Wayne family, but when had anything ever helped against them?

“When did it happen?”

“Wednesday night. Not even forty-eight hours ago. Did Wayne come to you today?”

Had Wayne sent his man to him before he had even known if the deal would succeed? Did he position his man near and called him directly after the deal was made? Wayne had known about the club, probably knew about their worth and that they were a family all of their own. A shudder run down his back when he started to pray that Bruce wanting to know about their past had not only been a farce too. If he knew their past connections he would be able to manipulate them even more. He did not want to know what a man like him could do with their darkest secrets. 

“Dick?” Helena seemed worried now and Dick tried to relax again. If Bruce knew, he would not be able to do something about it. He had to hope the man would play his cards soon if he had the information.

“Sorry. Yes, he came today. It was” he searched for the right words while settling back into his seat and massaging the back of his nose “intense.”  

“I can only imagine,” she said irritated but seemed relieved probably because he had not mentioned any harm done to them. Bruce Wayne was not a man known for choosing the violent path if there was another way but once he started, well, he was hard to stop. “Selina sometimes talks about him. More other stories but you get the idea.” 

He knew the stories better than he would like. Selina was fond of their business like anyone else and they always had a good relationship with their regulars. Thinking about it, it was strange that Selina had never brought Bruce with her. 

“Well, I don’t see what Selina likes about him but I guess it has something to do with her sometimes too masochistic behaviour.”

Helena laughed softly.

“Don’t let her hear that or she will claw your eyes out”, there was a short silence, “I have to go. See you soon?”

“Yeah, see you soon,” he said smiling and then it formed into a grin. ‘See you soon’ was their way of saying that meeting to let off some steam would be a great idea. He relaxed back into the chair.

“Do I have a wish free?”

“Depends” Helena prompted but he could hear the amusement in her voice.

“The red one with the black lace?”

“The one I got from Zatanna and Dinah because we convinced them with Barbara that my grandfather did not let me buy lingerie?”

“Exactly.”

“Deal.”

He could practically hear the grin and could not help but do the same. They were not in a relationship anymore. Sometimes he thought they had never really been. Their break up had been too easy for that, different from his break up from Barbara or Kory. Nevertheless, anyone who saw them knew they loved each other. What they definitely were, were friends with benefits and they really liked those benefits. Helena was a boss and most guys she had deemed worthy were the once who would most likely try to kill her. Not that they would succeed.      

The night went on silently after that with the band being replaced by Donna whose rich voice filled the room, the red dress glittered like diamonds in the light and the star earrings flashed. She looked great as always and the men and women looked up at her dreamily while she only had eyes for one of his own. Roy stood in the background but the smile on his lips spoke volumes.

The next morning reminded him more of his encounter with Bruce than he had thought. He sighed when he looked at his slightly swollen skin and the small green coloured spots. He applied a bit of rash creamm on his throat and then started to get ready. He ignored his usual white suit and the pale blue underskirt to grab something more comfortable.

The gazes of his friends focused on his neck quicker than he had ever seen them focuse on anything. Perhaps he should have taken the scarf with him. He stopped them from asking any questions with a hand. It earned him a few glares but at least he was not attacked until Rachel was so kind to place a bowl of cereal in front of him.

“What happened yesterday night?” asked Wally with his lips pressed together “Was this about the thing Roy and Kory told us about?”

“Basically” he croaked out and cleared his throat “The Castillo Family has an existence problem.”

His family looked at him surprised than a few glares and glances were exchanged.

“There were rumours yesterday, ” said Kory finally. She was still pissed about what had happened and Dick was still not sure what the henchman had done to her exactly “But we did not expect them to be true. How could Wayne have sent someone so soon?”  

Dick shrugged.

“That’s not important.”

But it was and Donna caught up on it as quickly as it was out of his mouth. He shot her a subtle glance to keep her questions back until they were alone. There was no need to worry them even more.

“Did the contracts change?” asked Rachel before someone could mention his wound.

“No. They will stay as they are. They just want the contracts we had with both the Castillo and the Bertinelli to be fused together. But I did not sign anything yet. The Wayne family will come again on Monday.”

It was enough time to make a few subtle changes to the contract. There was a great possibility that Bruce would catch up on that but he would have to take the risk. He still had time to negotiate a few things and he would use them as good as he could. The man had threatened them enough with his behaviour.

“Well what did the asshole do to you?” asked Roy with gritted teeth, his fingers drumming against the table and he could hear Victor sigh.

“Come on, we know you looked worse than this after meeting with a boss but if we can’t convince you not to take the brunt for us, can’t you at least make us worry less?” asked Victor settling his newspaper down and leaning forward with raised eyebrows.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. Sometimes he held back too much believing he was doing the right thing when he, in fact, made it worse “Nothing serious happened. He did not even threaten me fully.”

 _At least not visibly_ , Dick thought bitter. He could not be sure about what Bruce' real plans were.        

“Well then he is really underestimating us,” Gar said grinning.

 _You wish_ , he thought but kept the smile up, which seemed to at least convince Kory and Wally too, the others not so much.  

“What did he want?” Victor pushed on and Dick considered lying but it would not help in the long run.

“He asked about our past,” he explained and it was enough for the expressions to turn grim. Not all of them had a dark past, but they all had decided to leave them behind for a reason.

The matter was finished with everyone being lost in their own thoughts and with a glance to the clock they all knew it was time to open the bistro. Donna stayed with him while the others went down. Roy glanced back at them with a sour expression, but he did not say anything when Rachel touched his arm to get him out of the room.

After a moment, he finally started to fill Donna in on his meeting and on the call to Helena.

“This does not look good. I don’t like this Dick” said Donna her fingertips drumming on the desk.    

“Me neither. Bruce Wayne is a dangerous man. I did not think he would have us in a death grip already.”

“The question is: Is he dangerous to us?”   

Dick shrugged but then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. From the things I know he is just a control freak. Selina said that and well his,” he bit his lip and his fingernails bit into the table until Donna squeezed his hand. “The Wayne family is like that.”

“He does not want us to step out of the line, probably knows how close we are to the Bertinelli. Can’t say I am surprised, I would have done the same” she said with a small smile “Should we ask around because of him?”

“Not intentionally. He will realise something this obvious. But if somebody mentions him in the club write down all the information we can get. We will need it.”

Donna nodded and they went down to the others. The club was quiet when only the bistro side was used and just Rachel and Roy had stayed for the early shift with a few of their young waiters helping. They mostly came from the same side of town, from poor families or orphanages. The club could pay more money to part-timers than any other shop and had normal and child-friendly working conditions even if they belonged to the mafia. Technically it was still child labour but earning money for food was better than rotting under the bridge or being forced into prostitution. They had not the power to make a real change but every time they made a child or teenager smile again was enough to give hope.

He settled down on a table and watched Donna change shifts with Rachel. He was relieved when Donna talked to Roy somehow soothing the frown on his face. It still seemed unreal to see them back together after everything that had happened with Lian and Jade. They had seen Roy shatter, right before their eyes and they had not been able to help him.

“You want my opinion on our visitors I guess?”

Dick nodded at Rachel when she settled down in front of him.

“His bodyguard seemed to be well trained. It was hard to get an impression those few moments. But at least she probably was as frustrated with me as I was with her” said Raven a rarely heard chuckle leaving her lips at the last revelation.  

 “She seemed to respect you and Wayne too. He was easier to read but not by much. You should be careful with him. He may be more understanding than you expect, but he plays by his own rules to get what he wants. Anger issues are likely, he won’t start killing when he blows up but it will hurt enough”, she said and then sighed “I’m sorry that I can’t give you more.”

“Rachel you saw him for what, ten seconds? You will know more next time.”

Rachel huffed.  

“He can stay out of this house for the time being”, she said looking pointedly at his neck and then stood up to get back to work. He decided to do the same thing. The new contract would not write itself on its own. But before he could go back up into his office, a new face came into the bistro seemingly searching for something. Their eyes met and the young woman smiled slightly. Not so new then.

“You are Bruce Wayne’s bodyguard?” he asked after a short greeting, shaking her hand and settling back on the table.

“Yes,” she said sitting straight in the chair looking him over in an obvious manner. He should have felt like an insect under glass but it was more like a cat looking at her new toy. Another reference came to mind but he pushed it back. He was not sure which one was better but considering that Selina liked him good enough, the cat reference was not too bad.

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” he asked when the silence became too much of a strain on him and she nodded slightly.

“Any favourites?”

“Something sweet.”

She seemed awkward when saying it as if it was shameful admitting to like sweet things. He took two of the chocolate cakes with walnuts for them and Rachel instantly started to serve their table. The young woman did not share a glance at her.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Cassandra,” she said, “Friends call me Cass.”

He blinked. His mouth slightly falling open but then he laughed.

“It’s Cass than. My friends call me Dick.”

Her forehead scrunched up in confusion.        

“As a short form for Richard.”

“It’s the old short form” she mumbled while digging into the chocolate cake and sniffed on the Indian tea Rachel had set up for here. The winning smile on Rachel’s lips, when Cass drank it, nearly made him laugh.

“Would you tell me why you are here? Without your Boss?”

“I liked it here. Even yesterday with all the people the place had something calming” she said and settled her cup back onto the table “I wanted to see if you are alright.”

Dick smiled at her.

“Thank you. But I am used to more hurtful methods. Your Boss was oddly refreshing. A light breeze compared to others.”

Cass gazed at him, quietly sipping at her tea.

“Do you always protect others from the truth to make them feel better?”

He froze for only a moment, but when he opened his mouth it was already too late to stop Cass from saying more.

“You were terrified. More than you should have been and I don’t know why. Bruce frightens some people but only the weak. You do not belong to them. You stood up to him and you did it better than most.”

Dick’s mouth felt dry but he stopped himself from swallowing.

“I like you. I do not want you to be terrified by Bruce.”

“You like me?” he asked because it was easier holding onto this part of the conversation.

“I know it is not stupidity that you chose to take the punishment of death upon you for the life of your friends. I know it as good as I know the three members of your family would rip my head off if I did something to you and they would only do it because they know the contract has not been sealed yet. I know it as good as I know you would hate them for it but they would live with that hate because you would still be alive.”

“You are wrong, Rachel would never kill someone,” he said nearly cutting off her sentence and Cass was silent for a few seconds, then she looked to the woman that he knew was observing them too.

“You are right to trust them. She would not give the death blow.”

Dick tried to get his heartbeat back under control. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, screaming for him to eliminate the threat in front of him. He breathed out and saw Cass looking at the table frowning.

“I’m sorry. Bruce told me not to do this.”

It was silent again and then he slowly settled a hand on her shoulder lightly squeezing.

“No, it’s alright,” he said and Cass looked up again, something like hope in her eyes. This reminded him too much of things he would like to forget.

“It’s good to have people like you, people who can still talk straightforward. You are a fine young woman Cass. You may surprise others, you might shock them but the pain they feel does not originate from you.”

Cass did not say anything about it but he saw the slight smile on her lips anyway and she stayed for a bit longer, even after they had finished the cake. She was a quiet observer and did not seem to react much to anything but she had started tapping the tune Donna begun humming in the middle of the day instantly. He finally made his way up to his office when Rachel served Cass her fourth Indian tea and left the two women to it.

It was later around evening when Rachel came into his office. He knew Cass was gone because he had not been able to stop the tingling of his spine, telling him to watch out for the possible threat, to do more than watch out. He closed the video feeds when Rachel came in but given the worried look, he had not been able close the feeds fast enough.

“Do you still want to know what I think about her?” she asked and Dick shook his head. He had seen enough.

“Any new information regarding Wayne through her?”

“Do you really think she would let something slip? She was raised to keep secrets and she is only just opening up.”

Dick gritted his teeth.

“I could see that.”

“Dick” Rachel touched his arm, a frown on her face “Speak with them. Please. I can see how much this has riled you up.”

“I am only cautious.”

He knew Bruce Wayne had nothing to do with the shadows in his past. He just needed to know if Cass had something to do with it. Even if he spoke to his closest friends it would not help him in the slightest.

Roy looked up at him when he went down the stairs again dressed in his white suit for the night, while Roy was in a black suit together with Victor.

“I know who she is, Cassandra Cain, the daughter of Sandra Wu-San and David Cain.”

Dick looked at him, knowing Roy had confronted his own past to get the information and he shot him a thankful smile. She had nothing to do with the pit. He banished his upcoming memories back into the darkest place of his mind. It was a slight burden falling off his shoulders. Perhaps now Bruce would not seem as dangerous as before.     


	4. Connections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait. I was on vacation until yesterday and was too sleepy to finish the chapter, but from now on the next chapters should be out every Friday.

Monday came sooner than Dick had expected and the visit from Cass was still fresh in his mind. He had hoped to see her again after Roy had told him about her infamous parents. If she had really been trained by both she had to be a mastermind and he did wonder how she had ended up under the care of Bruce Wayne. 

Sadly his question had to wait because instead of the young woman, Bruce came in with the man he had met only a few days prior. Roy came closer like a watchdog with a tell-tale glare for the newcomers. The man looked at him with a hint of distaste and grudging respect when they walked down the stairs to greet them.

“You already made each other’s acquaintance but I do not think he introduced himself just yet. This is Jason Todd one of my Captains.”

Roy had subtly walked even closer, arms crossed and glowering. Jason looked back with an answering stare.

“Good to finally have a name,” Dick said smiling but Jason did not look too happy about it. They stood in front of each other for a short while. The silence was turning awkward fast and Dick was about to send Bruce a questionable look when Jason finally spoke.

“I wanted to apologize for the insults,” Jason said slightly struggling with the words and Dick looked bewildered at him, at which Jason seemingly prepared himself to say more. He practically had to force the words out of his lungs.

“It’s alright” he had never been angry about insults that had been thrown around because ‘whore’ was not really among the things that hurt him anymore “Such simple insults do not matter. I would personally appreciate more if you would apologize to the two members of my family.”

The emerging relief was wiped out of Jason’s face with his last sentence and Roy grinned viciously. 

“That’s a fantastic idea,” said Bruce from beside Jason, nearly too dryly and Dick thought for a moment he had heard amusement in his voice. “You could show me the club and then we can sign the contract while Jason tries to even the odds with your members. He will answer any of their questions if they want to know more about the family.”

Dick looked at Jason who was basically throwing daggers out of his eyes at his boss.

“Roy.”

The grin on the red heads face widened, which Dick had not thought possible before.

“My pleasure,” said Roy and Jason followed him grudgingly. Dick let a short grin slip onto his lips before he fought it down again when he looked back at Bruce, gesturing him to come with him. They were already in the great hall. Most things took place in it.

“You were already here but I guess you did not find the time to really look around.”

The room had the form of an octagon and was divided by two rows of white wall fragments that had been creatively designed. The fragments formed a walkway to the office and the private areas with a huge staircase.

“On the left side is our bar. We use it as a bistro during day time. It is basically always open. Because of the higher guests we only use the best ingredients you can get around here, but we have food for the average consumer too. The two connected winter gardens are liked by most guests. We have one with normal glass for the average and one made with armoured one-way glass for our more special guests. It really does make the ambient quite extraordinary compared to normal bistros.”

The winter garden was basically Gars, he cared for the plants and the few animals they had here. It was warmer than the rest of the club and had slowly transformed into a terrarium but people liked the exotic. 

“It comes close to a jungle,” said Bruce watching the butterflies dance through the air to the two small waterfalls “What sort of animals do you have?”

“Other than the butterflies, a parrot, fish, a snake and a gecko” he shrugged “I am sure I don’t know every animal.”

“Shouldn’t you?” Bruce asked looking down at him. It was so close to patronizing that Dick could barely refrain from commenting.  What did he expect? To be killed by a scorpion? How many trust issues could one man have?

“I trust my family not to kill our customers. Bad for business” he said with a daring smirk up at Bruce. He did not wait for a possible reaction and begun walking to the other side of the great hall. The booths here were much more comfortable.

“The stage is open every night. We have a few live bands we engage but it’s mostly Donna who sings alone, especially during slower nights. Two days a month we have greater shows, one always involving Zatanna Zatara and one organized exclusively by us. Those are only accessible for invited clients and their company.”

Bruce already looked satisfied and Dick had to hide a grin. If the man really thought this was everything they had he would be in for a surprise.

“We should go up to the private area,” he said and Bruce followed him up the stairs stopping to overlook the area. Bruce touched the handrail, tracing the worn wood. Everyone else would have walked by, would have seen it as a flaw in the clean environment. He was sure Bruce only saw the information it held. It was impressive and scary. 

“This is your normal spot?” the man asked, a more intense gaze falling back on him. Dick nodded, coming to a stop beside him. He shot a glance at Donna, who was observing them, jerking his head once to the side to show her she was too obvious. He was glad when she got the hint.

He carefully glanced up at Bruce. The look in his eyes had stayed; he was still staring at him.

“No worries I am used to getting observed,” he said calmly, a slight upward turn to his lips and Dick wanted to say something but everything that would have come out would have been a way too high _Really?_ He had no other chance but to nod stupidly. To stay at his usual spot with him felt strangely intimidated. It made his skin twitch in nervousness. Bruce looked back over the room and then the ceiling caught his eye.

“One-way armoured glass?” he asked looking at the sky. Dick looked up a smile forming on his lips, they were probably too much in love with the stuff but it did the job.

“One-way armoured glass, ” he said the humour back in his voice and Bruce hummed a deep pleasant sound. It was kind of nice. 

He brought Bruce into the right wing for the private areas grinning proudly. This was practically their treasure room.

“This is only for the Wayne now. The middle door shows you to a meeting room while the one on the right is a gambling room. We have one for the normal guests too but it is not as atmospheric or large”, he said and opened the door for Bruce to look. They had everything a gambler could wish for and while he did not think Bruce was one to root for luck, he was sure they would find a use for this room soon enough. Bruce braced himself against the other door to take in the whole room. He seemed sceptical.

“It can also be connected to the business room” Dick explained gesturing at the wall, “adapted to the families you might want to invite. The room can be customized to your needs if you wish.”   

“I did not expect a gambling room this old fashioned in here,” he said hesitantly “It just surprised me. It could become very convenient.”

Dick looked at him incredulously when the man confessed his surprise but before Bruce could notice his own surprise, he smiled and shrugged.

“Most don’t. But if you already appreciate this I should show you our most liked equipment.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow at his words and Dick provocatively smiled up at the man. They stepped out on the floor again and he opened the left door. He could hear a light snort coming from behind him and Dick did not stop the grin on his lips. Bruce could only see half of the spa.

“I knew the clubs reputation but I really did not expect this,” Bruce said pushing the door open wider, looking over Dick's shoulder. Dick caught a whiff of his cologne. It smelled lighter than he had expected. 

“We also have a pool.”

They found themselves again at his favourite spot after the tour was over, which - seemingly in no time - had become Bruce' favourite spot too. The clouds had disappeared and rays of sunshine gave the room its really own charm in times like this, sun spots patterning the room.  

“Basically, everything that the light touches is yours now,” he said grinning and, well, how had that come out of his mouth in front of _him_? The strange expression was back on Bruce’s face but then he actually _grinned_. Dick groaned and hoped they would never speak about this again.

“What if I want the shadowy place too?”

He would have joked about him knowing the words. He even wanted to keep up the light banter now that it had started but the bitter taste in his mouth when he remembered another man who had asked the same thing made him nearly choke.  

“I don’t see any shadows,” he said with a quirk of his lips and pushed away from the railing. Too fast, Bruce had already noticed something was wrong but he followed him into his office without a further word.

“I made the contract ready. I am sure everything will be to your satisfaction” he said grasping for the folder when his hand was stopped by another curling around his wrist. His eyes shot up to Bruce and a spark of anxiety - _fear_ \- went through him, his body tensing in a matter of milliseconds. Bruce frown deepened and he uncurled his hand.

“Our first meeting did not go to any of our satisfaction” he admitted “It was not in my intention to scare you. I see an able ally in your family.”                  

Dick bit the inside of his lip. Cass had probably told him about her deductions, which would help if Bruce decided to go easy on them because of it, but they were not as true as the young woman probably thought.

“I know,” he said and took the contract out of the folder placing it on the desk for Bruce to read over. Dick settled back into his chair and waited for him to finish. It would be a long time until he would not feel threatened by the man anymore but the feeling he got now was entirely different than the feeling during the first visit. He could still not read what was on his mind but at least he did not feel as if Bruce was entirely hostile or played to force him into a submissive position anymore. He was actually kind of nice.

“The changes you made are understandable. I don’t have any problems with them” Bruce said signing it and turning it around for Dick to set his mark. Bruce looked pleased as if he had suspected how everything would turn out.

“I am sure we will work well together,” Dick said taking a copy of the contract and giving the original to Bruce. It was a courtesy he did not like but knew was necessary.

“I expect it” responded the man. It sounded like an order, which it probably was.  

“I think you already know but for protection purposes, we assign a member of the club to every high-ranking family member of yours as a bodyguard. The respective abilities and personalities are taken into consideration when we choose, which means that we will have to know certain aspects of your family structure or decide when the members visit.”

Bruce nodded. Dick waited for a moment before speaking on.

“Considering Cass’ abilities she and Rachel would build a good” he stopped when he saw Bruce narrowed eyes and before he could ask about it Bruce' voice all but sliced through the silence.

“Why do you call her by that name?” the question was a growl and Bruce slightly leaned forward in his seat. Dick stared at him unbelievingly.

“She talked to me.”

“She talked to you” Bruce responded dryly.

“Cass was here on Friday. I” he began but hesitated, had he gotten her into trouble? “I was sure she told you about it.”

“I knew where she was, she just did not tell me she made contact,” Bruce said irritated and looked him over before continuing “It’s not how she operates.”

Dick could believe that easily. She did not seem like the type to speak much. He had probably gotten more out of her than other people in their whole life. But that Bruce had seemingly sent her to spy on them sat not well with him. 

“I knew she liked you,” Bruce said and Dick was surprised how easily this information left his lips “She has good taste in people. I am sure you will make a good addition to our family.”

Something felt entirely wrong and he somehow had the feeling _you_ had only addressed him and not his family, but the feeling was gone before Dick could respond. Bruce was already speaking about the contract again and he decided to forget the strange behaviour for the moment.

“You will be my bodyguard when I visit.”

Dick nodded dumbfounded because he had no reason to object and Bruce had probably already thought about the pros and cons of his decision.

Bruce looked stoic again when they left the office to find Jason and they were both surprised to see him sitting at the bar, laughing at something Roy had said. Dick grinned, when Roy looked at him as if he had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

“Fast friends, hmm?” he asked teasingly leaning against the counter and Roy huffed, playfully hitting his shoulder.

“Well, he is not that different from us,” Roy said, shrugging while drying the glasses they had used.

“No wonder Kory forgave him, he had to be like us for that.”

“Ah, you know she tried to blow him up when she heard Wayne had not yet signed the contract,” Roy said wincing after a second. Dick laughed looking at Jason who grinned back.

“Nah, she likes me more than the two of you,” he said smirking “and it’s not as if she is the first bomb I survived.”

Dick shook his head at that answer laughing but taking note in the back of his mind if the strange white streak might not really have something to do with his words.

“You will get your fingers burned if you’re not careful.”

“He will get more than his fingers burned” they heard Kory’s voice behind them but Jason did not lose his grin. He seemed to appreciate her more than he had during their first encounter. Leave it to his two hotheads bonding with another one. At least he had found another match for the contract and Bruce seemed to realise it too, even if his expression did not change. It was enough indication that he did not try to take Jason with him when he left.

Finally able to relax a little bit before the nightlife would begin he shrugged out of his jacket and loosened his tie settling down on one of the bar chairs beside Jason. Kory sat a steaming cup of Earl Grey[1] in front of him with a knowing smile.

“Thanks,” he said taking a long sip, “You can show him around too if you want.”

“We will,” said Roy glancing at Jason who nodded “After you tell us how it went.”

Jason perked up at that not caring for discretion and somehow he liked that more than Bruce’ ways of manipulation, it was refreshing how easy Jason was to read.

“It went great actually. We did not make changes to the contract and I was not slammed against any objects. We are cool now. I guess. “

They looked relieved to hear that. He felt mostly comfortable around the man to be honest even if his warning bells still chimed clearly in his head sometimes.

“And what happened here? How did you bond so quickly?”

“Honestly? We took him down to the gym” Roy said shrugging “And well, he does like jokes as much as most of us.”

“Mine are simply better,” Jason said winking, taking a sip from his beer.

 

[1] In Convergence# 2 pre-Flashpoint Alfred realised that every Dick Grayson likes Earl Grey.


	5. Women

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Helena&Dick with benefits.

Even if it was their job they still liked the nightlife genuinely. It had become a part of them. The night was safe. Most of them had lived long enough solely for the night to connect to it in a strange way. 

Helena gestured for her bodyguards to mingle with the guests while she went up to him with a smile on her lips. Her dress was held up over one shoulder through black cloth decorated with lace. The rest was one pooling dress of purple clothing that parted with every step. Only a silver cross pin on her waist parted the purple to show who she was. Her wavy hair had been pinned up artfully. He still could not believe that she had stopped straightening it after so many years but he was glad. 

“Well gorgeous, who might you be searching for?” he said looking her over in the sleaziest manner he could muster. Helena’s eyebrow shot up instantly and she stopped mere centimetres in front of him.

“I searched for a gentleman. He seems to be lost.”

“What a shame,” he said dramatically “Gentlemen are not what they used to be.”

Helena snorted and hooked her arm under his while leaning on him to look over the club. He relished in her nearness and relaxed. They just stood for a while like this, watching the guests talking and dancing to the slow song Donna was singing, pointing out a few they had known for a long time and how they had changed. Like Miss Falcon who was now an old sharp lady instead of the day dreaming middle-aged woman, she had once been. She was a danger to the business now.  

“I was worried about you,” Helena confessed when they grew tired of watching “Don’t make me worry again.”

He squeezed her hand and gestured for Roy to come up. Helena’s two bodyguards would help out like they always did when the Bertinelli visited. The Titans mostly interacted with Helena but it was hard to not become friends with the others too. He nearly hesitated when he thought back on the contract which stated they would only be loyal to the Wayne and the way Bruce liked his territory to be his alone. He would not be happy to hear about Helena’s visit. Helena looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he decided that the things his new boss did not know would not bother him.

Their first kiss was teasing, just after Dick had closed the door behind him. Helena pushed him away and walked briskly towards the elevator that connected the Titan's rooms. It was easy to catch up to her and they deepened the kiss, their bodies pressing together for a short moment. They grinned at each other and Dick started kissing down her neck. He was pushed out of the elevator when it stopped and he chuckled looking her over.

“As much as purple is your colour Helena, I simply like you most in red,” he said backing away when she walked into the room with measured steps.

“Always impatient” she reprimanded him but unclipped the silver cross from her waist and the fabric fell apart. He loosened his tie while she stepped out of the dress and he hummed when she revealed the gown under it. Black lace and red fabric might have been a cliché, but he liked it no matter what others thought and with Helena’s tanned skin red looked so much better.

“You like what you see” she concluded, chuckling and slowly walked towards him, splaying a hand over his chest and brushing down to his pants, “I want to see more.”

“Who is impatient now?” he wondered aloud, taking his jacket off while Helena’s hands expertly opened the buttons of his shirt, kissing his chest and Dick kicked his shoes off. Slightly off balance Helena used the moment to jump him, legs around his hips. They fell back onto the bed huffing, kissing and wrestling until they got the glorious idea to start tickling each other. They parted laughing with Helena on top of him. She triumphantly straddled his hips and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“So, you also think we have too much on?” he asked cheekily and Helena rolled her eyes.

“Shut up and take your pants off, Grayson.”

They woke up sprawled over the bed Helena’s nose brushing his throat, her hair tickling his cheek while one of his feet was not even on the mattress anymore. He practically occupied the upper side of the bed while Helena lay unconcerned in the middle of the bed, like any normal person. Brown eyes looked at him and her nose scrunched.   

“Why do you move so much even in your sleep?”

“Because then you have the blanket to yourself,” he said pointedly staring on the cocoon Helena had made for herself. She looked down.

“Good point.”  

He turned in a more comfortable position beside Helena who did not give up the cocoon she had made for herself but freed her arms and pulled him closer. He closed his eyes again to just lounge in the safety she provided.

“You can stop worrying.”

“No. What the Wayne Family did was not right and if I get my hands on this _pezzo di merda_!”

He sighed and looked up at her.

“He is not that bad. He just tries to protect his family, you said that yourself.”

Helena shrugged.

“Yes, I said that and guess what? He took part of my family away from me. _You_ are family. The Titans were under our protection because we saw you all as family.”

“It’s only a contract Helena,” he said sighing “He can’t change our feelings.”

Helena’s eyes narrowed and she set up, staring down at him with crossed arms.

“What? He already has you wrapped around his little finger?”

He shot her a glare.

“You know that’s not it.”  

The silence stretched between them and then Helena locked her arms around his neck. Dick barely hesitated when he hugged her back.

“I know you are pissed but I got it, alright? I got it” he mumbled. 

“That will not stop me from talking to him.”

“I know.”

They probably had a strange relationship to outsiders which was evident when they did not jump each other again while showering together. Neither his relationship with Barbara nor Kory would have ever worked like this. He devoted himself to lovers and friends alike which was probably the only reason why he was still friends with all three of his exes. But it always felt as if Helena and he were something different. Easier and more complex in one.   

Helena dressed in a suit instead of the dress while he stayed in jeans and a long arm shirt. Wednesday was a slow day and it was still quite early, not even afternoon yet. They walked down into the great hall both more relaxed than they had been for the past days until he saw Wally already waiting for him, a frown on his face and foot a blur while he seemed to pound holes into the floor.

“He came just a few minutes ago,” the red head said hastily “He did not ask for anything else but a late breakfast. From what you told us, that can’t be the only reason.”

Wally mostly forgot to mention names before speaking or generally important information because his brain processed it too fast for him to speak it aloud but Dick had a pretty good idea who he was referring too. Sadly the now furious woman next to him had caught on too.

“Helena!” he yelled but she had already made her way to the bistro, her hair seeming to follow her like a whirlwind. He tried to stop her with a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off and sent him a glare. With as much force as possible and a narrowed gaze that brought Bruce’ to shame, she settled down in front of him.

“Wayne,” she said irritated. Dick slowly crept closer. He did not want to be caught in this crossfire but it was his fault if this somehow escalated. This was his club after all.

“I did not think I would encounter a Bertinelli here,” he said his voice tight and eyes narrowing until he mirrored her expression. Dick could hear the accusation in his words, which with all certainty was not directed at Helena but him, “not this early.”

Dick was not sure if he referred to the time of day or as early after the contract. Knowing how easily he could be provoked he probably meant both.

“And I did not think the Wayne were as desperate to get new territory. You did not even let the child mourn his parent before you raided him” she responded calmly but anger swung in her words when she spoke again, “I spoke to José. You told him you would inform Grayson about the shift in power.”

“Yes and he knows,” said Bruce and Helena sent her fist down onto the table before he could speak on, rage visible on her face.

“After you send some goon of yours to threaten him!”

Bruce shifted in his seat, his expression becoming darker.

“Listen closely, Helena. This goon you are speaking about is one of my Captains and he did not threaten him. _I_ threatened him like I now do with you. Get out of _my territory._ Do not come back again until I give your family permission or the consequences will be a burden you do not want resting on your shoulders.”

The tension was thick and it did not look as if any of them would back out of the staring match until Helena rose suddenly, the chair squeaking. She stared down at him with distaste in her eyes.

“You threaten my family. You make a _fool_ out of the Bertinelli. Do not make the mistake to think _this_ is over” she said tensely, with a last look at Dick she left the bistro briskly her words resounding clearly in the room “I will see you soon.”

He looked after her with mixed feelings. She had been right with the things she had said but getting the territory back was impossible. He knew she would try, he knew it would end with more problems for her and most likely the Titans.

His gaze hesitantly settled back at Bruce, the older male’s expression had not changed.

“Sit” the growl in his voice was more than evident and Dick followed the order tensely. Bruce looked at him expectantly.

“What?” he asked more petulant then he had intended but it did not get any reaction out of the man. He sighed after a few second. “Why are you here?”

“Do I have to want something other than a late breakfast? This is one of the best bistros in town and it belongs to me.”

Dick stared at him for a moment frustration clearly on his face and he tried to go back into a more neutral expression but without the white suit to remind him who he had to be it was always more difficult.

“I don’t know,” he said with gritted teeth and gestured at him “You just seem like the type.”   

Bruce' lips twitched and he shook his head which slightly caught Dick off guard. He was already so accustomed to the grim or stoic expression that every other action surprised him every time.

“Sorry,” Dick said even if he was not sure for what he was apologizing “It’s just difficult to adapt to the new situation.”

“I know, but your loyalties belong to me now and I don’t want you to have contact to the Bertinelli.” 

Dick stared at him. He definitely did not know why he had felt the need to apologize only seconds ago. What was he? A loyal barking dog?

“What?”

“The Bertinelli are contestants to the Wayne. We are not allies and I won’t accept divided loyalties, especially not from my best business.”

“You are kidding.”

“Am I? I don’t think you understand what I am asking you.”

“Oh I think I understand it good enough _Bruce,_ ” he said eyes aflame “But if you really want for this to work then you better deal with the allies _my_ family has.”

And there was that strange expression in his eyes again which he finally identified as some mixture between crutching respect and satisfaction. He felt the hot anger flow away, but the irritation stayed and anxiety trickled into his mind again.

“You knew she was here,” he said and Bruce nodded as if it was obvious. Dick struck down onto the table with his flat hand “Then what the fuck do you want?”

He had enough of the mind games and it was only the start of the second week.

“Sit down,” Bruce said with narrowed eyes and spoke on after Dick had forced himself back into the chair “I knew she was here, yes. I heard about your relationship from Selina. And how am I supposed to trust someone who sleeps with the enemy?”     

“Well, didn’t you do something much worse? What was her name? Talia?” he asked daringly and saw Bruce' look darken “I am not doing the same thing. I can trust Helena as much as you can trust Selina those two relationships are more comparable. She is not my enemy. She is not even truly yours.”

“Not many know about Talia” Bruce responded, ignoring the real issue “Did you investigate?”

“What if I did?”

“I would advise you to stop.”

“Or what?” Dick spat out.

“Or I will investigate _your_ past.”

Dick’s anger flared up again but he was able to keep it behind bars this time and he scrutinized Bruce for a moment.

“You did not investigate already?” he asked curiously and unconvinced. Bruce gave him a long gaze until he finally answered.

“I did background checks, naturally.”

It calmed Dick because if Bruce had not even investigated a little bit he would have lied downright to him.           

“But I am interested in the things you did under the Castillo and Bertinelli. Why they chose to give you protection. I have no interest in anything that you did on the streets.”     

They had told the Castillo and Bertinelli back stories of their lives that were not entirely true. Each of them had come to this point because of different pasts and some were too dangerous to be spoken about. The Cult of Trigon especially was still looking for Rachel, her father a fanatic that thought she was the child of the demon that lived within him. It was a Damocles sword that hovered above all of them and it was not the only one. Dark cults, regimes and courts were out for them. And one day the nice place they had built would crumble around them until nothing was left.

This man before him was neither of those swords, which waited to fall down and they should be gracious to have such a strong ally. The Wayne Family had always been part of Gotham and had connections every other family only dreamed of.

“I still want you to keep your distance from Helena.”

Dick gritted his teeth.

“She is a friend.”

“A friend” Bruce repeated, looking at him as if he was joking “I did not know the definition of friends had changed that much since my youth.” 

“What does it matter to you? And what do you mean with your youth? You are what, ten years older? Don’t talk to me as if you were my father” he said frustrated “It’s a personal relationship, it won’t divide my loyalty.”

“In my experience personal relationships are more important to people like you than business,” he said dryly and Dick stared at him. People like him? Was this man even for real?

“I have known Helena for a long time. She respects you and looks up to you more than she would ever admit, but she has every right to be angry. You made her lose territory without her even knowing. She does not hate anything more than someone passing her over in business” he explained after he had swallowed the anger down “My relationship with her does not have anything to do with business. If she wants to visit she can. This might be your club now, but we are keeping this club alive.”

Bruce contemplated his words but he seemed to find truth in them.

“She is very much like Selina in that aspect. The club is, in fact, yours. You are right” Bruce said freely and with that the boss was fine with it. It made Dick crazy. What did Bruce want?

“It was through Selina I got to know the club. She really likes the ambient.”

“Everybody likes it” Dick reminded with a tentative smile still testing the waters. He had no idea where this would go. He wanted to like the man, but it was hard to leave the tension behind when his new boss more than often seemed like a manipulative prick.

“And I can understand why. It is beautiful” he said gesturing to the waterfall fountain “It’s an oasis. But why? Why in this part of town? Why go through with it in the middle of the darkest place in Gotham?”

Dick sometimes wondered the same thing. After everything they had been through in their lives darkness had always been their companion. It had been clear they would never reach a place only consisting of light.

“We wanted to give hope,” he said “If you are caught in pitch black darkness everything you wait for is a ray of sunshine, we wanted to be that ray.”

All of them had waited too long for such a golden ray to come into their lifes. They had searched for it because it had never come to them on its own. But searching was hard and long. Sometimes luck played a bigger role than anything else. Bruce nearly seemed amused by the comparison. 

“You are more. It’s the reason why I did not wait to get a grasp on the place. I don’t want to diminish that light.”

He was serious, Dick knew that and he snorted at the absurd idea.

“No. I think we already like the members of your family too much to let that happen. Even you” he said chuckling and went on before Bruce could express his distaste for the last sentence in more than a raised eyebrow “Roy is out today with Jason, shows him the territory and it’s not the first time.”

“They have much in common.”

“They have,” Dick said nodding and then laughed tentatively “They both like to insult each other for one.”                  

Bruce nodded, a gentler expression forming on his face. 

“Not even my British butler could get the street kid out of him.”

Dick grinned.

“Did he really try?”

The man chuckled.

“Probably not.”


	6. Skills

How surprised he was had to be written all over his face because Bruce' lips were already twitching into the half smile that never quite formed. He lay down the documents, making sure to part the ones he had already read, from the ones he would have to look over later because certain people simply could not leave him alone.

“I think you are on your best way to become a regular,” he said smiling hesitantly and drawing nearer to the still somewhat imposing man.

“Jason has already accomplished that I guess.”

This was about Jason then. It made sense. The man had been with his hotheads nearly every day. Dick had thought it strange. After all, Jason had to have other responsibilities than looking if they behaved or that everything was alright. Dick had no problems with him even if he behaved like a little shit more often than not.

“My plan was to call him back.”

“It did not work?” Dick asked when an answering frown settled on Bruce' lips.

“He uses you to evade the family.”

Dick crossed his arms at the slight growl in Bruce' voice, not knowing if he should expect more information. It had not sounded accusing at least. Bruce let the matter fall instead being more interested in the interior of the room. Dick was sure he had already analyzed it on his first visit, what the pictures might mean to him and what it meant that one of his shelves was from Ikea instead of specially designed furniture like every other thing in the room.

“I wanted to see your skill set” Bruce suddenly said, glancing over at him. Dick blinked. Bruce stood in front of the picture Donna and he had taken a few years back and he wondered how Bruce had so suddenly found another matter to visit.

“Shouldn’t you have asked about my skill set before you decided to make me your bodyguard within the club?” he asked sceptically.

“I already saw what I had to see” Bruce shot back, probably talking about his actions concerning Jason and later their short quarrel, “I thought about training you, expanding your potential.”

Dick looked at him, surprised and wondered if the training would actually help. He had been trained by the best, after all, years prior. But then again, Bruce Wayne most likely knew other techniques and he knew the rumours about the man. He was a force to be reckoned with.

“It would certainly help to see your skills too,” said Dick tilting his head “If you think you can trust me enough.”

Bruce was scrutinizing him again. The man liked to do it obviously. But who did not in their profession? Their eyes met again.

“I trust you.”

Dick nearly gaped, not knowing what to say. Instead of thinking too hard about it Dick shook his head good naturally. Fighting seemed like a good idea, perhaps then he would get a glimpse behind the mask and actually begin to understand this man.

The training room was in a separate building but still connected with their personal quarters and he hesitated when they walked past the hidden door, wondering if he should show Bruce where they lived. Only Jason knew how to get in for the moment and he decided it would be better this way for the time being. He might trust Bruce more than in the beginning but keeping their private domain private had always been more than just about trust.

Bruce instantly realised how high the ceiling was and looked the room over with the same intense glare he always seemed to have. Dick watched him for a short time wondering if he should find the behaviour, amusing, adorable or scary. Possibly a little bit of everything. He loosened his tie and threw his jacket over one of the training devices looking back at Bruce who had done the same.

“Well, how do you want to” he began and the next thing he knew a fist nearly broke his defence. He looked up at Bruce with wide eyes.

“This way,” said Bruce, a slight smirk bowing his lips and Dick pushed back bringing a few steps between the man and himself, the intense eyes now focused on him. Dick stayed away just watching the man who stood motionless in front of him. It did not sit well with him that the boss was waiting for him like a matador waiting for the bull. Something in his chest tightened at the calculating gaze and the tilting of his head, bringing him back to training sessions that had left him with aching muscles and less blood. He dashed forward his high kick being blocked with a grip and pushed away again, his hands meeting the floor. The punch flew over him in a quick motion and he brought his feet up to kick him away again, his body bowing into a back handspring. Bruce was incredibly fast when he charged him again. His feet had barely touched the ground, but Dick knew the weaknesses of his own techniques and anticipated the kick rolling to the side.

They charged each other again, kicking and punching in quick and sharp motions until Dick got a good grab onto Bruce and used his momentum to throw him to the side. He followed with a swift punch which Bruce blocked instead of rolling away like Dick had thought and he found himself on the floor in seconds. He brought his hands up to protect his face and tried to connect his palm with the sharp jaw but one of his hands was caught in a joint lock. He pushed himself up ignoring the pain and brought their foreheads together. Bruce grunted but his grip eased slightly and Dick threw him off again. The older male was back on him without losing a breath and for the time being Dick could not do more but back away. His wrist was dropping with pain and he was sure his forehead would sport a bump in a few minutes but at least Bruce would too. Hopefully, it would look hilarious.

“If you’re as hard headed as you feel, I don’t want to know how intense you get when you have your mind set on something,” said Dick when they started to circle each other again.

“My mind is always set.”    

Dick snorted and dashed forward again, aiming for a low kick to his legs but Bruce brought his fist down in the same moment and Dick had to block again, bringing his feet under him before he could lose balance completely.  

“Am I really that predictable?” he asked when he rolled up to get back into a fighting position just to block another fist before it could connect with his jaw. He still felt the punch vibrating through his body leaving a painful feeling in his arm.       

“Your moves are similar to Talia’s” the man contemplated. Dick ducked, breaking his barrier to direct the punch upwards. He tried to get away again but Bruce kicked one foot out under him and he nearly fell backwards. The fight stayed in close proximity, with Dick being basically punched into a defensive position.

“Really? How so?”

It was like fighting with his old mentor again only that the similarities between them were too thin for him to use. He had never had such an un-hurtful training fight with his old mentor, perhaps that was the reason why he always misread Bruce. His attacks still hurt but they were not meant to harm. 

“Quick, always evading” the man responded grabbing his arm to use another joint lock but Dick had already caught up, using his momentum to go with the motion. He got out of it, pushing his elbow between Bruce' rips in a sharp but rather light motion, wanting him to feel the sting without hurting him.

“Used to the lethal arts,” he said and Dick was pulled back by a hand in his hair. His eyes widened with the rougher treatment and went with the motion hitting the floor with a gasp. He stopped the kick with his own leg, nearly missing the fist and blocked it with his shoulder in a last attempted of defence when he could not bring his hands back up fast enough.

“A great woman then?” he asked slightly out of breath.

The kick to his side let him wince but he pushed the foot aside to connect his fist with Bruce' chest. The man caught the fist between his hands and Dick used his feet and movement to let them fall forward.

“More or less” Bruce responded catching his wrists and turning them. Dick sucked in a breath when he collided with the floor again, this time, harder without his hands to ease the impact. The man’s nails dug into his skin keeping him pinned and his knees grated down on his bone. He gritted his teeth at the pain, his mind racing while Bruce raised an eyebrow as if mocking him. Dick pushed his hips upwards in a sharp and firm motion. Bruce froze slightly his knees sliding to the ground and before he could relocate his weight again Dick had gotten his legs out from under him, pushing up again, their bodies lining up and yanking his wrists out of Bruce' grasp. Bruce could have easily pinned him to the ground again with his weight alone but instead, the man’s jaw tensed. Dick halted for a moment his brow furrowing but the strange moment was over in seconds, Bruce back on him again.

“I thought you had a son?” he asked blocking another punch, but the second one hit him square in the chest and he whizzed. Bruce hesitated with his next attack and it was all Dick needed to kick him in the side. Bruce took the brunt as if it was nothing only the slight twitch of his brow revealing it had actually been effective.  

 “Those that mean something in our time?” he asked catching his arm and throwing Dick over his shoulder. Dick yanked his hand out before he could land on the floor and connected with his hands, jumping backwards.

“Does it mean something to your son?”

Bruce did not answer, instead connecting his foot with his stomach and Dick nearly doubled over but he caught the foot directing it to the side and pulling sharply to make Bruce fall. 

“I guess,” the man said using the opening to grab him by the throat.

“Guessing” he choked out, connecting his feet with Bruce' leg and breaking the grip with a sharp punch to his wrist “Guessing is not enough.”

He brought his knee up to Bruce private areas, naturally his advances were blocked.

“He chose to live with me.”

“What a moron” Dick chuckled and was thrown backwards, just barely avoiding a hurtful fall. Bruce narrowed his eyes.  

“You would be a perfect match as a brother to Jason and Damian. Making cheeky remarks but losing spectacularly.”             

The man had him pinned on the floor for the umpteenth time when he finally surrendered. His breath was going fast from the intense training and he run his fingers through his hair to get the stray strands out of his face. Fights had never lost their appeal but this had actually been satisfying. He closed his eyes to revel in the feeling a bit longer. His former mentor would have broken his bones. Bruce would never do it during training. He had not been able to go all out like that for a long time. He could not help but smile up at Bruce and nearly laughed when he saw the suspicious look in his eyes. The man was still ready to fight.

“I give up,” he said again and held up his hands, pouting a little bit when Bruce hesitated, “You said you trust me.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow as if to ask if he really tried to convince him that way.

“Come on, Bruce,” he said wiggling his fingers and invading Bruce' space as much as he could, which was kind of easy when he was pressed down on the floor. His wrists were squeezed in warning and he stopped slightly holding himself upright. The blue eyes travelled over his face. Bruce’ jaw clenched again when Dick did not settle against the floor. 

Oh, he knew that his breath was brushing over the stoic face. 

Finally Bruce left his position. A grin spread over Dick’s lips when he pulled his feet out under him to get the upper hand again, pinning the stronger male to the floor, straddling his hips in the progress. Bruce tensed under him again and Dick chuckled when he realised it was discomfort.  

“Street fighters are the worst, aren’t they?” Dick asked daringly and was thrown to the ground in a matter of seconds. He was proud to get away before Bruce could grab him again because he had no idea how Bruce had brushed him off so easily and fast.

 “They are,” said Bruce a minimal smirk on his face and then they collided again. Dick was not sure how often he had landed on his back by the time he found himself falling against the wall with Bruce looking down at him. 

 “Are you finally giving up?” the man asked, breathing harshly for air.

“Already getting tired, old man?” he responded with a cheeky grin but did not move when Bruce advanced on him again. He was actually relieved that instead of attack; Bruce settled against the wall too. He rubbed sweat off his brow and leaned back stretching his legs. He would feel the strain tomorrow and he had a few bruises littering his body. The places were Bruce had ground against his bones especially. Thank god that he never had to take off his shirt at work. Then again most guests probably would enjoy such a sight.

“Could we do this regularly?” he asked. It was not as if the Titans never trained together but Bruce was something different. The man grunted next to him but he knew it was confirmation.   


	7. Siblings

“How did you do it?”

Dick groaned at the early call from Helena and tried to pry his eyes open but failed miserably. He had slept probably three hours and his head was pounding. It reminded him why he avoided getting drunk on any other occasion but after Roy and Jason had come back his friend had been hell bent on bonding time, which had resulted in much alcohol and with even more when Kory had finished her shift and Donna had come down from the stage. The only real thing he remembered was looking helplessly at Rachel. She had ignored him because there had only been four responsible people looking after the night club.

That they had all ended up on the big couch instead of their beds was enough evidence of how much they had been drinking the previous day.   

“What?” he croaked out trying to tug out his leg from between Kory’s arms but she only tugged it closer. He sighed and let his head fall back on Donna’s abdomen. 

“He apologized to me,” Helena said as if he had to know what she was talking about. To be fair she did not know that he was probably still drunk “What did you do?”

He needed a moment to connect the question to his and Bruce talk a few days before. God, it felt like an eternity to his alcohol induced mind and given the training session the other day had felt so naturally he had completely forgotten about the conflict. He grimaced when he thought about the bruises. And then he remembered Wally. Bruce had stayed much longer than he had anticipated when they had fallen back onto a conversation about Talia. It had been afternoon, nearly evening, when the boss finally left and only then did Dick realise they had not even bothered to change. Wally had looked at him with an all knowing grin which - now that he remembered it - started to irritate him even if he had not paid it much mind then.

“Apologize?” he asked looking blankly at the ceiling, his brain to sluggish for him to really decipher the meaning.  He heard a sigh on the other end.

“Well not like you apologize, obviously” it kind of sounded like an insult from her “but how I would.”

“Since when do you apologize?” he asked massaging his scalp.

“You’re so funny” came the dry response from the other side “Basically we made a contract in which the Bertinelli have the same rights as before.”

“Didn't think it would go this quickly” he mumbled massaging the back of his nose and then scrunched it up “what time is it?”

A short silence filled their conversation.

“Since when do you drink?”

“It’s not as if I wanted to,” he said whining.

A sigh followed.

“It’s one a clock” snapped Helena shortly before they ended the call with a simple goodbye. He carefully set up, trying not to wake anyone or make his headache worse. A smile formed on his lips when he saw the other four blacked out on the couch. Donna and Roy were snuggled together with Roy nearly drooling on her while Jason spooned Kory with her hair flowing over him. The man would have looked really good as a ginger.

He tugged out his mobile phone and shot a picture of them before they could wake up and left the room. Wally greeted him with a grin and thankfully a glass of water with aspirin.

“Thank you, my hero,” he said winking and downed the glass “I really thought this would be the end of me.”  

“Well, you do look like death my fair lady,” Wally said laughing “You five really went all out. I don’t think Rachel ever looked that disgusted before.”

Dick blinked and his face grew white.

“Why what did we do?”

Wally shrugged still grinning.

“Wally!” he said exasperatingly.

“You were the whole night cuddled together and we don’t know who kissed who or if anyone did not kiss everyone. And I think you sat on Roy’s lap but I am not sure. What I am sure is that Donna did not seem to have a problem with that.”

Dick grimaced.

“Oh and I guess I also know why,” said the ginger “I mean it’s not as if there is not a reason why you don’t drink and we want you to be drunk.”

Dick stared the ginger down. They had been much more excessive before they had evolved to being adults. If they could call themselves adults now.

“And why was Rachel disgusted?”           

“That probably was because of Gars _sexy_ theories.”

Sometimes he _really_ hated Garfield.

Wally laughed and set down with him, placing breakfast in front of him as if to offer peace only to eat half of it alone. It was silent for a while which was a blessing for his headache but not for his sanity because Wally never shut up.

“Spit it out, Wally,” he said between bites after he felt the stare on him and saw Wally instantly grin again. It was grating on his nerves.

“Bruce Wayne seems not so bad,” said Wally in a sing-song voice. The look on his face would have scared a Cheshire cat. Dick shrugged. Immune to the grin he had worn too for so long.

“He is more likeable than I thought.”

“I could see that.”

Dicks shot him a confused look and Wally looked delighted. At least the wickedness had left his face but Dick did not know if that was good or bad.

“You did not even realise it,” Wally said and then he laughed “No you never do. You are so innocent sometimes. Come on. You flirted with him.”

“I did not,” he said petulantly and Wally hummed.

“Think what you might lover boy. I know what I saw.”

“Don’t spout nonsense Wallace” rang out Rachel’s rich voice tinted with slight annoyance and Wally looked caught at his girlfriend “You were trying to coax him out of his mask Richard and if I may say so, I think you succeeded.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” he said sticking out his tongue at Wally, who held up his hands in surrender.

“No problem Richard. But I am not here to save you from our friend’s misperceptions. You have visitors. Cassandra came with guests.”

Dick was not sure if he was already awake enough for visitors but he did not want to send them away either. With a quick look at the clock he told Rachel he would shower before he went down, they would not want to smell the odour clinging on him, it was a mixture of alcohol and cigarettes.

He slapped Wally across the head when his friend did not stop grinning and knew this would come back to bite him. It did not help that he had to keep his mind away from the previous day to stop analysing the words and phrases he had used to speak to Bruce. He had not been flirting with the man. Not even during the fight. He guessed. An angry growl left his lips and he ignored the laughter echoing from the kitchen.

Three other teens stood beside Cass when he walked into the great hall. The young woman greeted him with a smile and he gave one in return.

The oldest boy spoke up first. He looked like a businessman and gave off a more serious vibe than even Cass, who had relaxed more since her previous visit.  

“My name is Timothy Drake. It’s nice to meet you. Both Cass and Bruce have mentioned you over the week.”

He shook the hand held out to him and noted how the blue eyes hushed over him in an attempt to analyze him.

“I hope it were good things,” he said and the blond girl snorted.

“You bet, Cass _loves_ you and I can see why she does,” she said grinning ignoring the near pout on Cass' lips “Stephanie Brown.”

Stephanie seemed like an interesting addition to Bruce' family. His glance fell on the shortest boy in the group, who was looking up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. His features resembled Bruce’ and they definitely had the same glare.

“My name is Damian Wayne,” he said nose held high in the air and arms crossed “The son of Talia Al-Ghul and Bruce Wayne.”

Dick looked surprised at him, had he only been talking about his mother with Bruce yesterday. He had not thought that the young boy would be interested in the Club. He had heard about his aversion to anything not fighting related.        

“Tim and Stephanie heard about the Club and wanted to see it,” Cass said and Dick realised that he had not yet shown Cass the full extension of the Club. He proposed to show them the exclusive area and Stephanie opened up fast that Jason had already sent her a message how awesome it was.

“We have to show them the Winter Garden after that” Cass said and Stephanie nodded enthusiastically.

“We want to see everything!”

He snorted when he saw into the gleaming eyes of both girls but Tim looked slightly uncomfortable by the openness. Giving the young man an encouraging smile he walked the same route he had shown Bruce only that they actually went into the spa.

Tim’s and Stephanie’s mouths fell open in awe while Cass clearly showed happiness too just not that obvious. Damian only looked at it with grudging admiration.

 “I am pretty sure you are not interested in wellness but the pool might be another matter.”

“But we don’t have anything with us,” said Tim frowning. Dick chuckled lightly squeezing his shoulder.

“This side of the Club is only for your family and guests of your family. It is specially equipped for your needs” he said grinning and Tim’s eyes light up instantly, forgetting his initial hesitation and Stephanie was even more enthusiastic when she whooped behind them. He had never seen anyone change as fast. Not even Garfield or Garth when he had been with them in the beginning. They still missed him sometimes.  

Even if Damian still had a frown on his lips he looked at least interested in the activity. The first laugh erupted from Dick’s throat when he heard the first high squeak resounding in the room. Stephanie had pushed Tim in the water. It did not take long for Tim to emerge and grasp her ankle. Now it was Stephanie that surfaced again spluttering. Their fight went on and Dick looked head shaking to Cass which surveyed the action with a smile. But the lightness he felt did not last long when his eyes fell on the heavily scarred body of first Cass and then Damian. An unexpected surge of rage hit him when he thought about the people who had done this. Both of them were still so young and had more scars than Tim and Stephanie would ever have.

Naturally Cass caught him looking but she seemed to have trouble deciding what to say or do. She lightly touched his hand and Dick tore his gaze away from the scars, squeezing her hand reassuringly while he shut the rage out.

“I would join you if that’s alright?” he asked and saw her face light up again while Stephanie cat-called him. He flipped her off and she laughed until Tim slapped her lightly on the head and their fight went on. Damian looked at them disgruntled but walked with as much purpose as he could muster into the water, grumbling under his breath that the pool of the Al Ghul and Wayne were much bigger and deeper. Dick did not yet know if he should be fond of him or hate his guts.

He changed and was glad the make-up on his body was waterproof. He had enough scars for an army, which had not been the best for a host and would have raised more questions he was willing to answer those four. It also nicely covered the bruises Bruce had left. He would have to get revenge for them eventually.            

When he came out to the pool again, Stephanie had taken it as her duty to tease Damian. While the young one was trying to swim the same path, again and again, she was diving under him and emerged out of the water directly in his path.

Tim was the one to seek him out first and it was strange how he seemed to hesitate. Dick questioningly looked at him.

“Bruce is not as bad as he seems to be” the young man finally said looking at him with an open expression “He is just intense.”

Dick looked away from him again to Damian and Stephanie who had started to fight. Damian looked like an angry drowning cat and he wondered if Bruce would have looked the same in his childhood.

“You all should stop worrying” he finally said when Tim became restless. He really had nothing more to say about it. They had made their peace. It also freaked him out that both he and Cass were worried about him. Why should they be? Cass barely knew him. Tim did not know him at all.

The younger one looked down in the water still conflicted.

“You are probably right but I know Bruce is not good with words. He had his eyes on the Club for a while and used his first opportunity. I am sure he did not want to start like this. He respects you more than you think.”

Dick sighed frustrated. Should he talk to Bruce about this?

“The contract is barely a week old and I am not angry at him anymore. I am just a bit overwhelmed. You crashed like a bomb in my family’s life” he said and after a beat of silence, he chuckled “But more like a confetti bomb, so no hard feelings here. Promise”

Tim nodded but still looked a bit frustrated? Dick tilted his head.

“You want to try the diving tower?”

Tim looked up at the thing suspiciously but then he nodded, a grin forming on his lips.

“Absolutely.”

When he emerged with Tim out of the water Stephanie decided that it would be more fun to challenge herself with the tower than with Damian and followed them while the youngest glowered after her and slid closer to Cass, seemingly for protection.

Stephanie was daring and it was not long until they reached the highest tower. It was only then that she showed hesitation. She reached the edge, looking down and then back at him. He smiled at her reassuringly and came closer.

“Do you want me to go first?” he asked and she nodded “It’s not that different from the others, the way is not much longer. It just seems that way.”

Stephanie stepped back looking interested and Dick knew she would follow shortly after him. He jumped down and it was a really great feeling. He had not been down here for a long time. To stretch like this was a rarity since they had opened the club. Sometimes he just needed the thrill.

When he emerged from the water again he could hear Stephanie’s grin in her words.

“Wow, great ass and form.”

He rolled his eyes and dunked her when she emerged after her own jump, ignoring the strangled sound escaping her mouth when she was not prepared for the attack.  

They really liked it in the pool. Stephanie and Tim in a more obvious way than Cass and definitely Damian who still looked like a pissed of cat every time he felt someone watching him. They emerged from the pool after a few hours a little bit exhausted when Stephanie had decided that he would be as good to tease as Damian and Tim. It had been a water fight extraordinary and after a while, they had made the three others participate too. His stomach and his cheeks already hurt from all the laughing.

“How can something like this exist?” asked Tim when he saw the Winter Garden and Gar grinned. The eating went on more calmly with Cass catching up with Rachel while a few words shared between Tim and Vic turned into a conversation about the newest technology.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” asked Jason when he stepped into the Garden with the rest of the Titans.

“Should that not be our question, Todd?”

Jason looked at Damian with a huff and stole a fry, barely avoiding the fork before it could cut his finger off. It was a loud and hilarious lunch and Dick could tell how good the Wayne Family and his would truly match. He wondered what Bruce would say to the gathering.

It was unbelievably cute how Damian ate his citrus role even if Dick had to look away every time the young boy caught his gaze. Otherwise, he would have broken down laughing or cooing at the boy and then Damian would probably kill him with the fork that was already threateningly held in his hand.

He pushed his own citrus role towards Damian in the most unobtrusive way he could when the boy looked down on his empty plate nearly close to destroying it with a glare. He could feel the boy’s gaze on him shortly before the plate was snatched out of his hand. He felt like he was feeding a pissed of cat.

Jason left after lunch and the other members left for their duties or free time after they had said goodbye and he even saw Kory and Stephanie exchanging numbers. He felt the scrutinizing glare on him the moment Jason had left and looked encouragingly to Damian.  

 “I heard you could best Jason in a fight.”

He nodded, not sure where this would go and not knowing if the fight could really be called a fight.

“I want to fight you.” 

He was inclined to say no but he still knew how disappointed he had always been, when someone would turn his requests for training down.

“Alright,” he said grinning “But don’t go complaining to daddy when I kick your ass.”

Damian huffed.

“As if you could do that.”

Damian was good. He had finesse, agility and speed but Dick was older and he had learned to fight deadly from men that could destroy the assassins Damian knew easily. The experience he had was pushing him now. He knew he was on the verge of losing it when Damian used techniques he had not seen since years, techniques that he had learned in dark rooms with invisible and invincible targets. Even the few techniques he had undoubtedly learned from Bruce could not mix up his fighting structure. He pinned Damian down on the floor when he felt the tension get too high when he already saw the openings in Damian’s defence too clearly. It would have been easy to slice open the boy’s throat. He tried to get the image out of his mind, tried to forget the movements his brain had already lain out in front of him like a map and ignored the voice ordering him to kill the unimportant life.

“You are good,” he said, feeling the dropping pain in his temples were Damian had landed a high kick, but the child only looked at him with a glare.

“I can see why Todd lost to you,” he said and Dick heard the way Damian tried to say the right words, even if it obviously pained him to have lost.

“You don’t always have to win” he said gently and in a lower tone so only Damian would hear it and not the spectator looking at them “Sometimes it’s easier to win if you have lost before.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at his words but then he came to a realisation and Dick felt himself be thrown backwards. He lightly landed on his feet grinning at Damian, who looked back with a huff.

He could not believe that he had lost a whole day to the Wayne Family again when he looked at the clock. The others realised how late it was too and he took Cass to the side when Damian went to the bistro to get something of the chocolate cake for Cass and the citrus role for him. 

“Hey Cass, can you tell Bruce something for me?” he asked when he remembered the conversation with Helena and Cass looked expectantly up at him.

“Give him a thank you for me,” he said smiling and then jokingly added “and give him a hug from me. The man needs one. Badly.”

Cass nodded and then hesitated.

“Can I have a hug too?”

Dick looked at her surprised and then he grinned, embracing her.

“Sure.”

Damian sighed beside them and Dick tousled his hair as punishment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter Bruce has a major role again and it's only one chapter between you and the first real Information about Dick's past.


	8. Stage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I should hate or like this chapter.

All of them were performers, they had learned to survive because of it and the Club had made it into a real pleasure, which was why they always looked forward to the individual performances. It never hurt that the Club was making more money out of those nights. The guests mostly never bothered to know which of them would perform. If it was magic they would see, exotic animals or fire in the most glorious form. No, they were infamous enough to attract attention with everything and today the stage would belong to aerial silk, to him. His performances always focused on acrobatics but it was easier for him to forget the trapeze on certain days and focus on something else that would bring him close to flying.

The others helped him with the costume. Simple low riding black pants were the only thing he wore while his hair had been decorated with three long blue feathers. His skin was painted black from his forehead to his chest where it ended in smeared stripes. Different shades of blue framed his eyes and the short feathers seemed to spout out of his skin.  

The Club was full tonight. He could feel the buzzing from the hall. Excitement washed over him when he thought about the show. The respect for the stage and the guests never ceased. A smile appeared on his face when he walked through the curtain towards the silk, his movements creating a certain flow that made everything much more elegant. Helena was mixed under the guests and it seemed as if he had appeared on the stage at the right time because she looked relieved when she could look away from the man beside her. He started to perform with the first beat of the song. It was smooth but strong, with a skilled flip he flew upwards in the moment the vocals started and held himself in a sitting position, parting the two crossing silks in his hand. 

_Don't cloud my vision_

_I'm telling you not today_

He let himself settle into a handstand and then let his feet fall forward to catch the silk between his toes and used another flip to unwind, catching the silk with his hands again. His pace became faster when the song picked up and he twisted his wrist to get caught up in the silk until it lay around him. He let go of it and let it unwind again his body held into a firm form until he stopped his descent shortly before his nose could touch the ground. He started the ascent again this time with broader moves and more twists to his body than normally used in this art form.

_I'm feelin' high as a bird_

_Ain't afraid of the ground, I'm a stay up_

When he flew above the ground starting to catch onto the other silks hanging from the ceiling instead of simply the main two and swung onto the next with a triple somersault he felt as if falling was not even an option. His heart rate running high and he lost himself in the, for him, most natural feeling of the world. 

_Found revolution_

_Found it in a simple fact_

_I ain't coming back_

He smiled into the crowd when he caught himself with one hand in the silk his back twisted and one leg angled behind his back. Then he let himself fall unravelling the silk that had bound itself around his legs.  

_I know some will say I'm dreaming_

_But I carry on_

He let go of the silk shortly above the ground pushing off, ending in a somersault his head held high fingers spread and arms wide. Helena was not sitting with only her men anymore. Bruce had appeared at the same table. They really seemed to have made peace. The blue eyes of his new boss were as intense as ever but this time, it did not feel like a glare. His skin was starting to prickle.  

_They say no way. I say I'll rule the world_

The guests clapped and he bowed in a languid motion before the curtain fell closed. He could finally breathe out and in as heavily as he wanted. The prickling had subsided and left the not as comfortable itching on his face behind that was coming from the paint and feathers. The sweat was cooling his skin and Roy threw a blanket over his back. Dick stood motionless for a while, his heart was beating in a fast rhythm and his ears rang with a screaming that could have nothing to do with the crowd tonight. Donna walked past him with a short squeeze to his shoulder. The stage was hers again and Dick finally began walking.

On exclusive events like these, only the stage side of the hall was used which enabled them to get to their rooms unseen. They had often enough gotten sleazy comments after the shows mostly the girls and it was always a pain to talk to people like those.

He had to rummage around his dresser a bit until he found the remover crème. It would have been better to stay with them. It was a pain to get the colours of his skin alone. But since the accident the backstage was full of memories he wanted to forget. He relaxed as good as he could and just when he wanted to step out of his pants the door opened. Dick nearly pushed his pants down anyway because he could only be Wally but then he realised that the imposing figure with black hair and blue eyes could not be his best friend. Despite his best efforts to keep his mouth shut and to unhook his thumbs from his pants nothing happened. He had not even shown Bruce how to get into their quarters. The blue eyes wandered down his body and he could feel his cheeks beginning to burn. Only the paint on his face helped him to avoid further embarrassment. They stood in silence, Bruce still touching the elevator door which complained with a persistent sound and Dick started fudging with the crème in his hands after he had finally gotten his hands away from his pants.

“Hey” was finally the word Dick used to break the silence. It still came out a bit surprised. Bruce finally caught himself and snapped his gaze up. Dick was not sure why that felt even more embarrassing than the man scrutinizing the rest of his body. Bruce hesitated for a second and took his hand away from the elevator. The thing tried to close until it realized that Bruce himself was still standing in between.

“I am sorry. West said you would already be finished. He told me you would change behind the stage” said Bruce and Dick let out a sound of surprise while cursing Wally for thinking anything would happen if he pushed it enough. The whole thing did not become less embarrassing when they both did not know what to say or do again.

“I could help you” Bruce finally said and he really looked a tiny bit awkward. How often did someone see Bruce Wayne awkwardly standing in their door? Never. Probably. He should say no.

“Sure.”  

They were both a bit surprised about his answer if he interpreted the rising eyebrow correctly. He sighed and finally let a smile creep onto his lips this was hilarious and he had to thank Wally for that. Bruce looked relieved and Dick could not help but feel glad. He gestured to the bath and Bruce followed. While his guest took off his tie and jacket he worked out the feathers in his hair and settled on the bathtub. The older male had tied his sleeves up, Dick could clearly see how muscular his arms were. He had felt the strength when they had trained but there had not been the time to concentrate on how they looked.    

Dick turned around, his back facing Bruce. Looking at him would just make him notice more things and his back was the only zone not completely reachable. He had not expected any conversation but now the only thing he could hear was the slight rustle of fabric. Bruce worked completely silent. It let his mind stay on edge. It did not help that Bruce was moving the pat over his skin in slow smooth long strokes. He wanted to scream.

“You liked the show?” he asked when the silence became too much. Bruce did not answer immediately and the strokes seemed to become even slower. It felt good, damn good.   

“I have never seen anyone this good before. It looked natural. Graceful.”

Dick bit his lip when Bruce' hand curled around his waist holding him still when he tried to get a stubborn stripe of paint away.  

“You looked happy up in the air.”

Dick shrugged smiling slightly, doing his best to ignore the fingertips lightly soothing over his skin.

“I worked the trapeze when I was very young. My parents always said I learned to fly before I could walk.”

He heard Bruce chuckle, a deep rich sound that sent shivers down his spine and he could not stop talking.

“We were part of a circus. The greatest attraction of Haly’s” it were good memories, few compared with his bad but still the most beautiful he had “until the accident.”

Bruce touched the scars covering his back and Dick held his breath for him to say something. He had lost count of them. His skin tingled all over by the time Bruce slightly pressed down over the healed bullet hole.

“What happened?” Bruce asked after a long time squeezing his waist, a sign that he was finished. Dick turned around, he could still feel the hand on his back and he should have felt caged but the nearness actually felt good. The hand left its spot but not without brushing down his leg for a short moment. He averted his eyes. The boss did not press the matter and started removing the make-up on his chest too, one hand settling on his leg to part them for Bruce to lean forward. Dick wondered if Bruce was doing this for a reason, the only thing he could say for sure was that he did not want him to stop. It was probably a mistake but he could not bring himself to care.   

“I received your thank you,” Bruce said and then he looked up with a slight twitch to his lips “and the hug.”

Dick’s eyes widened slightly and he spluttered.

“I said that as a joke” he retorted instantly and Bruce looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I mean,” he said but stopped unsurely, his cheeks growing warm, then he sighed, “Oh well, you don’t seem to want to kill me now, which means you don’t mind hugs or that Cass is a really great hugger.”

“I don’t kill because of something so trivial” he stated but he seemed satisfied by the answer and then the silence came back. It was crazy how focused Bruce was no matter what he did. Dick could not help but stare at the man. Naturally Bruce caught his look and Dick could feel how the warmth on his skin was slowly being outdone by the warmth coiling in his stomach. It felt embarrassing to get this turned on while Bruce seemed completely unfazed.  

“The rope tore,” he said after a while looking down onto his hands. Back then he had cried and when he had remembered it as an adult he had drowned it out with comfort. The only comfort they had been able to get in the pit had been violence and sex but the two things had been nearly undistinguishing. Bruce stopped his work with a last sweep. He slightly settled backwards as far as he could go on the small stool, simply listening.

“It should have been my first performance with them but just when my mother wanted to grab me they fell.”

He balled his hands into fists.

“Later we found out that it had not been an accident. Tony Zucco a goon for the local mafia threatened Haly to pay protection money. He didn’t and my parents had to pay for it. I had to pay for it, a nine-year-old circus brat alone in Gotham.”

He could feel tears burning in his eyes, speaking about them after a performance always seemed hard. When he did not speak on Bruce lightly tilted his head upwards and resumed his activity, this time carefully pulling off the feathers around his eyes. Dick shut his eyes and sighed. How much time had gone by since someone had taken care of him like this? And here he was tainting it with want. 

“I resented him. I hated him. I wanted to kill him, make him pay but when I found him again he had kids of his own, as old as me. I let it go. Because how could I be better than him if I did the same to his children?”

He had let it go and refused the kill becoming a hunted man again. He still remembered the moment clearly, waiting in the shadows for the good night kiss the killer of his parents would give his wife every night before plunging a knife into his heart. But then his daughter had opened the door and crawled into the bed and how could he have let her wake up in her father’s blood when the same thing still let him wake up screaming. His decision had left him with even more problems than before but it had felt right.

“You were a strong child” Bruce hummed. It felt good to hear those words. Even after all these years because he had doubted that choice over and over again. Just because it felt right to him did not mean anyone else saw it the same way. He opened his eyes again when Bruce laid the pat away. The silence felt comfortable this time. 

“Sometimes I think I never got over that hate,” Bruce said following the many scars with his eyes “We were on the streets when it happened, coming home from a gala. We had left the bodyguards behind only three perhaps four meters but the mugger did not even let my father finish when he said we would give him anything we had.”

Dick pressed his lips together when he saw the hateful glare directed at the floor and grasped Bruce hands in his. He had heard about it, everybody had heard about the Wayne Murder.

“He shot my father. Then my mother. She collapsed right in front of me, to protect me. The bodyguards shot but he got away and we never found him again.”

Bruce looked up at him and Dick nearly flinched back. His glare was cold, his voice barely a growl.

“I still don’t know who it was but if I ever find them I won’t show mercy. Not to them.”

Dick’s grip around his hands loosened but then he squeezed them again. It was common knowledge that Bruce did not like killing. If he could prevent it he never killed. Now he looked serious and Dick could only think about the fact that he knew exactly who had killed the Wayne. The man Bruce was searching deserved death.  There were no children to cry over his death, no one to cry over his death.

Dick placed a hand on Bruce' shoulder and hesitated to speak.

“I know how it feels,” he said and fell silent again to breathe through “You still remember the blood don’t you? The last look on their face and how they met the ground and after all this time you keep asking yourself: Why?”

Dick gritted his teeth and let go of his shoulder. Their fingers had intervened.

“But the most terrific thing is how you see those lifeless eyes.”

“And you know they will never come back,” said Bruce and behind the hurt lay a sea of anger “And you wonder why they can't. Why you can't make it right."

Dick could not stop the short desperate laugh. Bruce thought he had failed because he had not been able to find the murderer. They still clung to each other’s hand like a lifeline.    

“He will get what he deserves” Dick mumbled eyes pressed together, making a silent promise to himself “He will.”     


	9. Interest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter before the story dives fully into Dick's past.

He had not thought he would see Bruce again that soon. It was just the next morning perhaps six hours after they had last seen each other that the man stood in their club with a death glare focused solely on him. The tenseness practically wrote 'furious' on his forehead and Dick nearly choked on his greeting.   

“What happened?” he asked instead but even then all Bruce did was walking past him with an expression made to scare the devil. He glanced to Donna and Roy questioningly but they shrugged and he quickly followed the fuming man up to his office. Bruce was already impatiently waiting for him after nothing more than a second.

“I want everything you have on Cobblepot and Sionis.”

Dick frowned up at the man, slightly hesitating.

“Now!” the man hissed yanking him closer to his desk and Dick nearly flinched back but the bruising grip on his biceps was preventing that anyway. Bruce' teeth cracked when he did not move. This was the Bruce Wayne from the stories, the Bruce Wayne who would mutilate his enemies and Dick decided he did not want to be the one this anger was directed at ever.   

“Bruce,” he said calmly but firmly “let me go.”

Bruce stared down at him as if he wanted to snap his neck and be through with it but he stepped away. Dick kept his eyes on him for a moment longer, the hot raging anger was something he could deal with but the icy cruel anger was the thing his nightmares still spoke about. Bruce was still in the first stage, he wanted him out of here before the next would start. He sighed more to relax and opened the laptop, typing the names down. Bruce hovered over him to get a better look at the laptop, his hand now lying curled on his desk. Dick frowned up at the man when he had tipped in the names for the search engine, knowing he would not leave the chair again until he had given Bruce every detail they had. 

“What happened?” he asked again. Bruce tensed even more but instead of answering a new command left his lips.

“You have information about which drugs Sionis is using in the different areas, right? Show them to me and every shipment Cobblepot got in the last two weeks.”

“Bruce” Dick tried again more insistently.

“I did not think I would have to repeat myself again.”

Dick bit down on his tongue before a complaint could leave his lips. He would have challenged him any other day but it would do no good to increase his bad mode if that was even possible. He called up the data they had on the Iceberg Lounge. It was an opponent they were always looking closely at, after all, the only club that could lessen their income was the Iceberg Lounge. Bruce looked them over, his eyes skimming the text.

“Just tell me what you are searching for” he spoke up again and Bruce grudgingly answered.  

“Sionis is using drugs to control people, my people. Cobblepot helps” was the clipped answer and Dick opened the files they had on the drugs that had been used around their area. Some of them were already labelled as Sionis drugs but no one would be the right one. They knew the effects of those.

“Do you know how they look like?” Dick asked opening the shipment data they had about Cobblepot scrolling down. Bruce stopped him when a shipment of oil was listed and Dick looked at him confused.

“It’s clear and oily. This shipment was not listed in our data. Where do you get your information?”

“From everyone on the streets.”

Bruce took out his phone, tapping something in, waiting a second. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up again.

“Print the shipment details. We should have everything else.”

 He held back the sigh at the order and did how he was told.

“Should we search for the drug ingredients?”

“No, we already found someone who will tell us exactly what’s in there,” Bruce said and the barely suppressed rage settled back into his voice. He seemed really pissed even for his standards.   

“Interrogation?” Dick asked in a casual way while he pointedly stared at Bruce until the man looked at him. It would do nobody any good to let him into an interrogation room right now.

“They try to destroy us. They will be destroyed.”

It was a clipped answer and Dick had no doubt it would happen exactly like that. He reluctantly gave Bruce the shipment details.

“Call if you need something else,” he said before he let go of the paper and then the man started walking to the door. Bruce turned just before leaving the office and Dick nearly did not hear the thank you leaving his lips nearly stoically before the door fell shut behind him. Dick shook his head and sighed. Bruce behaviour did not scare him but it worried him _greatly_. He hated not knowing what had aggravated the man so much.

“Did you hear everything, Vic?”

“Yes, we are searching for the details of the drug, anything else, Boss?”

“Find out where Sionis is and let Roy keep an eye on his movement. For the drugs, let Wally call the chief and let him ask about the oil. Somebody asked us why we don’t use something that good.”

“Wally is on it. Roy will be out in a few minutes. You sure he should go alone?”

“Tell him not to engage. He is only there to call us if the Wayne Family attacks tonight.”

He walked out of his office taking Roy’s place at the Bistro, nodding at him when the man left through the garage.

“You think they will engage?” Donna asked with a lowered voice in order not to alarm the few customers.

“You saw him. It did not look as if he wanted to find a peaceful solution.” 

“Did he tell you what it is about?” she asked and Dick shrugged.

“Not exactly but Sionis has always been in a conflict with him and we know they are currently in a war with the Calabrese. Perhaps they feared Bruce would help Selina if it escalated and wanted to weaken him first.”   

They stayed tense during the whole evening. Depending on the way Wally would get his information, they could even expect Penguin's men barging in and that would not end well. They send the kids home when they started to realise that something was going on. It was not until night begun that Roy made contact with them. 

“This is Arsenal. Black Mask is getting restless. Something is up. I’m leaving spot Beta and will go up to Gamma just for safety. Arsenal out.”

“Position change verified. Raven out.”

Dick and Donna exchanged a glance and used the next half hour to walk the last costumers out, clearing the Bistro and then Donna walked towards their quarters to get the others while Dick disappeared into the kitchen. He settled against the counter looking at Wally expectantly.

“Some mushroom, probably mutated” Wally explained while washing his hands “The consumer most likely dies after or during the drug’s effects.”

“That’s what made him that angry” Dick contemplated and really how would it not.

“If it was only that,” said Wally, sighing “the mushroom attacks the brain cells. Even if he could extract the drug many would have been damaged already.”

Dick stared at him and something had to be showing in his face because his friend hastily spoke on.

“I guess only the lower ranks got involved with the mushroom.”

Dick really hoped he was right. If something had happened to the kids Bruce would not show any mercy and neither would they.  

“How did they get into contact with it anyway? And what did Bruce mean when he said Sionis used them to control them?” he asked irritated his hands balling into fists.

Wally grimaced but did not answer until he had locked up the kitchen.

“I don’t really know how they got into contact with it but the street rats working for them were most likely pressured to buy it and really Dick, you could fill them into oil flasks and nobody would know the difference. There is a rumour he can heal the damage with something and well, the mushroom seems to focus on different brain areas the longer he is in the system. I guess he does not heal but gives them a substance the mushroom eats instead, which means the thing is still in them.”

Dick hated biological weapons. They were the nastiest things possible and he did not want to think how many could have been infected. He dialled a few numbers of his own street kids and told them to keep on the lookout for such a substance. The knowledge would spread like a wildfire over all areas by night. He knew were to seed information to get the best outcome.

“They are holding an ear open?” asked Wally and he nodded while they walked down to the garage. The others were already waiting for them, talking in hushed tones.

“Promise me we will get them good,” he said after Wally had explained again what the effects of the drug were. It was not long after they had changed into combat clothes, that their communication piece crackled to live.

“Wayne and Sionis have engaged. It’s a small army. Arsenal out.”

They attached the combat micros onto their earpiece and placed their weapons in the holsters and then they waited, all of them looking at him but Dick would not yet give the signal to go.   

“It’s not looking good Nightwing,” said Roy through the speakers and after a moment of contemplating and a short look at the map with blinking red dots on his display Dick nodded to his fellow Titans. Their guns clicked when they made them ready and he could hear Roy laughing.

“Are we heading out, Boss?”

Dick grinned one leg already over his motorcycle while he heard the doors rattling open.

“Yeah, we’ll engage.”   

It did not take long for Kory to appear beside him and they looked at each other.

“Ready?”

“Whenever you are” she chuckled and their motors roared, their tyres screeching. The street lights flickered by them in a whirlwind of Adrenaline pumped through his veins with every sharp curve and every horn blaring up behind them. They were in the small alleys that would lead them directly to the gun shots nearly too fast for their liking. When they crashed over the dumpsters lying too conveniently in front of them that Dick knew Roy had placed them there, they nearly flew over Sionis people. It was only because of their training that they could ride their cycles into the next wall and flip off from the driving machines with a calculated explosion that would not harm them but the right people instead. Kory loved her explosions too much and he his theatrics to leave risky moves like these out. Someone muttered show off in his ear.  

“Explosion Confirmed. Raven out.”

Dick hooked his legs around one man’s neck hurling him into his comrades and jumped back onto his feet in time for Kory to take out another goon. A shot grazed his helmet and he let his eyes fall onto the shooter who was taking aim again.  

“Cameras hooked. Cyborg out.”

The man cried out when he was hit. A precise shot through both of his hands and Dick grinned at the red dot on the wall.

“Good shot, Arsenal.”

He heard the laugh loudly in his ear while he got into a better position to escape the wildly shooting men. One short silent moment was enough for him to jump back into action, hitting the heads of two goons together and landing in front of Bruce.

„Need a hand?” Dick asked grinning, pressing another one of the goons face down in the dirt. One of Kory’s bullets hit their target nearly into his face. Bruce lips twitched and then they were back into the fight in a matter of seconds.

Out here Bruce fought differently, fought like Dick had thought he would and he could easily relate to his style, falling in motion with him as if he had fought with him for years. One hook there, a kick here. The pace was becoming faster until no one was left.

Bruce had grime on his face like the others by the time they were finished and Roy jumped down from his high position to join them. Jason angrily batted his hands away, when he came near him with a flask full of alcohol to clean a shot that had grazed him. Because Roy had wanted it that way, it ended with the whole flask being poured over the bleeding wound, a scream and a fist against his chin he barely evaded. Roy found it entirely too amusing.  

Bruce ignored them as best as he could, while looking the area over. They had lost a few too but not as many as Sionis and Tim was tying the goons up for whatever reason Dick did not want to think about.

“We won’t do anything too bad. It’s Sionis I want, not them.”

Dick wondered how clearly his worried had shown. He pulled the cracked helmet off his face to speak with him. The man had calmed down a bit, the rare force in his hits from the beginning lessening with every new skin to skin connection. He could not see any wounds, the only darkening wet spots seemed to be from other people’s blood. Still, he came closer. The short hiss and intake of breath he had heard during the fight suggested another wound that would not be that easy to see.  

“Do your rips hurt? He got you good.”

Bruce tilted his head nearly amused.

“I am not the one who is hurt.”

Dick looked at him puzzled and then he remembered the rock that had actually caused the crack in his helmet and used the back of his hand to get most of the blood away.

“That’s nothing. Those wounds always bleed that much.”

“It’s not what I meant, Dick,” Bruce said slowly and there was already something calculating in his look that Dick did not like until he felt the grip on his arms much less forceful than earlier that day. Finally he looked down. The explosion had grazed them. They had probably miscalculated a second but it was nothing to worry about and the blood flowing down his arm from the bullet he had barely been able to dodge was making it look much worse than it felt. A flesh wound nothing more.

“That’s nothing” he repeated and tipped against Bruce rips simply because the man had made the mistake to come closer. His eyebrow rose mockingly, when the man tensed in front of him and failed to breathe for a second.

“Not hurt. Right,” he said and took a step back to look over the damage again. Bruce' men were focusing on stopping fires and getting the weapons their enemies had left. The wounded sat against the walls with Tim looking over them.        

“We could deal with the drug” Dick suggested carefully. It did not surprise him when Bruce said no, given his reservation about the cause. They should not have been here in the first place.

“Think about it. We are not only here for fun. We belong to your family now. You wanted the Club, now you have us.” 

Bruce grunted.

“You already did enough. Others are currently dealing with the drug problem” Bruce revealed and Dick was sure he meant Cassandra, Stephanie and Damian. He could have tried to say more and convince him but if they were looking into it there was no reason. They would protect their own. Bruce did not need to know that the rest of the Titans were already out dealing with the drug problem too. Wally would have fun making his own drug exclusively for the Iceberg Lounge. He simply smiled at Bruce tapping against the bruised rip one last time before the man could prevent it and started helping Tim with the wounded, while the younger man looked at his bloodied arm horrified.        


	10. Murderer

Dick settled down in front of Bruce, looking him over while he ate his lunch. Not long after that he had to hide his smile. Nearly nothing was funnier than seeing how irritated Bruce became the longer he kept his eyes on the scrape covering his cheek.

“A fight, again?” Dick asked when Bruce looked up darkly as if the wound had been his fault. Since they had helped with Sionis Bruce had become a real regular. Even Jason could not hold up with his visits anymore and Dick knew it annoyed the younger man greatly. The only real downside the whole thing had was Wally. His best friend was starting to waggle his eyebrows every time he saw them talking together. One time Dick had succeeded to throw hot toast at him without Bruce noticing, he had only heard Wally’s scream when it had hit him right in his face. By then Dick had slowly realized that Bruce did not like Wally that much. 

“Sionis thought he could further his influence through a false contract after his last standoff. I really thought his last defeat would have made more of an impression on him. I know Copplepot backed out after he heard of the Clubs involvement.”

Sionis had not succeeded. The news had talked about the fight for hours but it had gone on until the early morning and Bruce looked even tenser than before, tilting his head to the side a few times to get the tension out of his neck. He had wanted to help but after Bruce had called him and explicitly told him not to come he had grudgingly complied.

 “It’s your fault for declining our help,” he said and relished in the glare Bruce was sending him until his next words.

“I know you took care of the drugs after I told you not to.”

Dick tensed and opened his mouth to response but Bruce spoke on to fast.

“I am not angry. I know you did it for the family but I need you to follow orders” said Bruce seriously but at the end, a smile hovered around his lips “once in a while.”

Dick huffed but grinned and nodded, waiting for Bruce to finish his lunch. He normal did not sit through the whole ordeal. Other things and more important things had to be done after all.

“It’s painful to watch how you try to get your tensions lose,” he said and Bruce sighed, a new cracking sound coming from his neck that nearly let Dick wince. 

“You know we have a spar.”   

Bruce did not say anything at all for a moment as if he had to balance the pro and cons of a morally unjustifiable question. Why did this man make everything so damn complicated?

“Sounds good” Bruce finally said and Dick grinned, standing up to privately talk to Rachel. The place had to be warmed up first.

“Should I get Wally out of the Club before he get’s obscene?” she asked with a look at her boyfriend that grinned at them with a way to bright smile. He nodded, rolling his eyes at his friend, who had started to bat his eyelashes at him with a dreamy expression on his face. He sighed exaggeratingly and then turned back to Bruce, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  

He shrugged his shoulders a wry smile on his lips.

“No idea.”

When Bruce had finally finished his lunch and Wally was nowhere in sight, they went up the stairs. It was warm in here nearly like a terrarium and only the soft sound of water filled the room. Dick had completely forgotten how on edge he had been the last time Bruce and he had been in physical contact. The nervousness returned when he could not look away from Bruce when the man began to unbutton his shirt. Every hand grip looked practiced and precise as if the older male knew exactly how to look sexy. The way he let it slide off his shoulders should have been illegal. But alright this was Bruce Wayne in front of him. The man knew how to look sexy. He did it for the papers all the time. It did not prevent his mouth from going dry when he got the first real look at his abs.

“Only the upper body?” he asked before he could stop himself and Bruce’ gaze snapped up to him and Dick knew the grin on his lips meant nothing good. He tried to keep the blush out of his face. It took all of his willpower not to look down when his pants finally hit the ground.

“Answer enough?” Bruce asked voice rougher than usual and Dick nodded dumbly, his eyes still having trouble staying focused on his face. The older male leaned a bit nearer, hands on the massage table. Dick held his breath.

“You know, I looked too. Eyes down, Richard.”

His gaze snapped down for barely a second before he looked up at the grinning face of Bruce Wayne.

“I knew you were good in following orders.”

What had he gotten himself into?

Bruce lay down without another word as if nothing had happened and Dick escaped any language he had ever learned. There was just no good response for his words. Why had he thought this would be a good idea in the first place? He rolled up his sleeves and shook his head concentrating on the task at hand.

With a deep breath out he massaged the oil into Bruce skin, beginning at his shoulder and neck, digging into the tense muscles to work them loose.

“When was the last time you loosened up a little bit?” Dick mumbled nearly too low. He wanted a normal conversation and equally wanted to ask why Bruce was playing with him.

Bruce let out a hiss when he came to a very tense spot.

“I don’t remember” he mumbled and Dick snorted at the answer.

“You don’t remember. Right. Do you even loosen up?”

He began to work on his sides. Bruce grunted a few times he had to dig deeper but otherwise gave no sound away. His gaze caught onto the scars littering the skin, not unlike his and he wondered how they had happened. All of them were marked for life, a whole story appearing on their bodies. He paused for a moment and Bruce cracked an eye open. He slowly started to loosen the muscles again. He had wanted to tell him about the murderer since their talk about their parents. Now would probably be the best or the worst time to explain the whole thing to him. He hesitated but then he ignored the warning in his head. 

“Have you ever heard about the Court of Owls?” he asked seeing Bruce' muscles tense at the name. Bruce looked up at him with a frown but Dick gestured him to relax again and pushed him down with one hand. It would do no good if the tensions came back again and he hesitated to say more but Bruce took the decision away from him.

“They were mentioned in an old nursery rhyme. Some even think they exist.”

It was silent again for a moment and then Dick spoke on when he felt Bruce getting anxious, the fine muscles twitching under his fingertips.  

“They consist of the members of old families and important public and non-public personalities. They decided who died and lived in this city. Sometimes they still do.”

“What do you mean?” Bruce asked but his head stayed pressed to his arms “Do you want to tell me they exist?”

Dick bit his lips and pressed his palm into Bruce side.

“They do,“ he said and wavered before taking a calming breath “I was trained by them to be the bodyguard of their grandmaster.”

He was relieved when Bruce remained silent.

 “I know you probably won’t believe me but it is true. They have contracts with every significant company in Gotham. They work in the shadows of the shadows.”

Bruce did nothing more but breath on and Dick made sure he had worked all the tensions on his back out before he went to work on his arms.

“I had a suspicion they were real but I would never have thought I would be right.”

Most would deny their existence; it was a nursery rhyme they were based on after all. He had never understood why stories for children had to be this horrific. In a sense, he understood it for Gotham but every nursery rhyme was disturbing. Good that they were still only real in Gotham.

“What I want to tell you is” Dick pressed his lips together and pulled his hands away, looking into Bruce eyes “I know who killed your parents.”

Bruce' face was carefully blank and Dick went around to the other arm, aware of blue eyes following him.

“The man I was supposed to protect called himself Lincoln March,” he said. Bruce gave an affirmative hum that he knew who the man was. Any citizen with enough influence knew him. Now would come the difficult part and Dick actually fiddled with Bruce' fingers before answering “But we, we called him Thomas Wayne.” 

Bruce tensed at the familiar name, teeth gritted.

“What do you mean?” he wanted to know locking their fingers together as if he feared Dick would leave without any other information. Dick looked at him anxiously, trying to figure out how to tell Bruce without the man completely losing it.

“He is your brother. Thomas Wayne, Jr.”

 _Way to go, Dick_ , he thought when Bruce' face contorted in anger.

“He died in a car crash when I was three,” said Bruce sitting up and tugging him closer, his fingers getting squeezed together. 

“He should have” Dick said and could not keep the bitterness out of his voice, everything would have been better without him “But he did not. He survived with burns and broken bones, with a thin metal tube in his head. Your parents tried to help him but they had been convinced everything would be too late by a doctor who despised the Wayne family. Thomas was abandoned. He did not die, but he grew up thinking his parents had left him for dead. He was told your parents did not want to give out too much money for him. He learned to hate them fast and he healed. He healed and begun to make his own empire to punish them.”

“How do you know about this?” Bruce asked angrily still pulling him closer as if it would change something. Dick was already leaning against the desk by now.

“Who would have told you about it if it were true?” Bruce wanted to know.

“He did.”

“How can you believe I would believe this bullshit?” he growled and Dick was pushed back when Bruce stood up, his nails digging into Dick’s arms.

“It’s the truth. I can’t give you more proof but my word.”

Bruce stared down at him.

“And you want me to take your words as the truth?”

 “You said you trust me.”

Bruce stared at him with narrowed eyes and Dick pressed his lips together. 

“I would never lie to you about something like this. I know how it sounds but it’s the truth” Dick said searching in his eyes for understanding “Please.”

Bruce jaw tensed but his grip loosened a little bit.

“Tell me more.”

Dick swallowed looking down on the floor between their feet. His throat was closing when he thought about what he could tell Bruce about his brother. What kind of monster his brother was, how much pain he still felt from those years.

“I can’t,” he said looking up again his heart hammering.  He was slammed against the wall before he could react. Bruce did look anything but happy.

“You can’t tell me more?” he spit out “You should not have said anything at all. My brother is dead. Mind your own business, Dick.”

Dick winced and Bruce turned. His ears were filled with white noise.

 “This is my business” he finally pressed out even though his throat was closing up and Bruce gaze snapped to him angrily. Dick did not stop though and walked towards him again.

“I had to live with your psychotic older brother for _six_ years.”

“Well, that’s more than I had” Bruce snapped back and turned around again. He was nearly dressed fully by the time Dick pulled him around again by his wrist.

“Let me go,” he said warningly but Dick only gripped harder.

“Why won’t you believe me? I know you don’t trust people that easily but come on Bruce. I don’t have any reason to lie!”

Bruce yanked his wrist out of his grip but he did not step back, no he hovered over him like a bear.   

“You saw the scars” Dick said and saw Bruce hesitate but then the older man gritted his teeth. Finally Bruce breathed through and Dick relaxed a tiny bit.  

“I do know about the Court and I do believe you are right. I want to believe you are right” he admitted tightly “but he is not my brother. My brother did not kill my parents.”

White hot anger flashed through Dick and he growled outraged, pushing against Bruce’ shoulders, his nails nearly breaking the skin.

 “He did, damn it! I am not lying to you!”

Bruce did react as if they had been in a fight all along. His face was grabbed roughly, his fingers building pressure on his cheek bones and pushing his head back in an uncomfortable position.

“Then give me more of a reason that it was him!”

“How am I supposed to do that Bruce!” he roared twisting until Bruce stepped back to let him go.

“Do you think I trust just anyone who serves me? Don’t be ridiculous. I am not like you.”

Dick stared at him unbelievingly.

“Who serves you? Fuck you, Bruce” he roared his face twisting. Bruce balled his hands into fists and they stood like this for a while, heavily breathing and staring at each other until Dick laughed. 

“Fine. If you don’t believe me, go. I am sure you will find what you are searching for.”

This time, it was him who turned around, which had certainly been the wrong move because the next thing he felt was his head connected with the wall. He did not let the hiss escape his mouth and instead gritted his teeth. Bruce looked down at him and he could feel one hand cradling his head as if the older man wanted to apologize but could not work out the words. Bruce leaned closer, their foreheads touching and their noses nearly brushing against each other. Bruce closed his eyes frustrated while Dick could not close them even though they had long since started to burn.

“It can’t be true.”

Dick did not know how long they stayed like this, how long he kept silent and completely still while waiting for his own breakdown, then Bruce stepped back and he shivered from the loss of warmth.

“I want to know everything. If you can’t give me everything stay away.”

He looked after him as he threw his jacket over his shoulder buttoning it up hurriedly but still as precise as before and then the door closed behind him. Dick slid down the wall burying his face into his hands. How could he tell him everything? Why had he thought telling him would be a good idea? If Bruce searched for his brother everything would go down, he had just wanted to give him certainty and perhaps, a tiny voice in his head whispered, he had even thought Bruce could be the one to kill him. It was an idiotic idea. Thomas would come to him first. He knew the man knew where he was and now he had given him a reason to take him again. He felt sick, his stomach turning and his skin crawling as if he could already feel the talons grazing his skin.   


	11. Time

Roy did not comment when he drove him to the Wayne manor but he could feel his sideway glances on him. Dick ignored him as good as he could, looking out of the window for the whole drive with his head propped on his hand. His friend sight when he left the car telling him that he would call if he needed to be fetched.

The manor was a massive place and the strong walls surrounding it were most likely equipped with security measures others only dreamed of. He knew this place from stories and the newspaper but standing in front of it was a whole different feeling. Slowly he walked to the bell and did not have to wait long until the doors slit open.

His eyes took in the garden, automatically searching for escape routes and possible hindrances. It was nice here, like a personal park. It even looked a little bit lived in, most likely the doing of Stephanie and Tim rather than Bruce’. When he arrived on the threshold an older butler opened the door looking at him with a polite expression. His hair was whiter than it had been all these years ago when Thomas had still been among his family but the eyes had not changed, they were exactly like he remembered them from the old pictures in Thomas' study. 

“Good day Sir. Please come in.”

The butler stepped to the side. Dick walked into the foyer with a slight smile but when his eyes took in the room his stomach twisted. It was all the same. It looked exactly like the house Thomas had been living in, like the house he remembered most from his nightmares. From the form of the room to the stairs and their design to the statuaries and the hangings, there was no difference. His breath caught in his throat. He could feel the tip of a blade dancing mockingly over his chest, could hear Thomas' words in his ear talking about retribution.

“Sir?” he snapped out of his thoughts with his terrified look meeting the calm eyes of the butler. The older man’s expression grew slightly worried but he hesitated to say something.

“Richard Grayson,” he said, forcing a smile on his lips. He wanted to run far, far away. The butler smiled back a little bit suspicious this time and Dick could not take his eyes off of the older man Thomas had constantly talked about. He was the only person Thomas had held in good memory. The only person Thomas had been fond of in a nonpsychotic way. He could not help feeling curious but he also saw his look reflected in the old butler’s eyes. His expression did not fully convey sanity. No, that was the look of a Talon.  

“You have to be Alfred. I heard your steak kidney pie is one of the best in the world.”

The butler’s eyes widened slightly and suddenly Dick was roughly pulled back, nails carving his skin. He looked up shocked, blue eyes looking at him angrily. Right, Thomas liked Alfred. The old man was no target.

“I’m sorry,” he said hastily clutching onto the hand that seemed to break his arm. He knew that grip all too well and the furious expression too. He knew what would follow, days in the pit, days in the darkness blades slicing him open. If he was lucky the whole court would be watching, there to stop Thomas. He had done something wrong, he would pay for it. He should pay for it. He would take the punishment like a good Talon he had to make Thomas proud. “Please. I didn’t. Please, don’t hurt me., he rasped out because he could not, not again.

“Dick” the voice was commanding and his gaze snapped up to the blue eyes again. He could feel a hand caressing his cheek slowly coaxing him out of the memories. Bruce had a frown on his lips. Dick was glad that he did not stop instantly. The fingers dancing over his skin nearly artistically helped to calm down his heart beat. This had not happened since a long time ago. He had not thought those memories would ever come back like this.

“Perhaps we should settle into the dining room first, Master Bruce”, Alfred said and squeezed Dick's shoulder “Then I can make our guest the pie he heard about if you would like that, Master Richard?”

He nodded because he did not trust his voice and because he had not talked back then. Never. Bruce' hand settled against his back and he was gently nudged forward with Alfred taking the lead, and if he leaned a bit too much into the touch, Bruce did not seem to care. This was different than what Thomas had done. He had always felt the biting of nails in his nape as if the grandmaster had been the Talon and not him.

The dining room was full with pictures, some of Martha and Thomas Wayne with Bruce, others from the family he knew Bruce had built himself. He knew the dining room as well as the foyer but the pictures changed the ambient completely. He stopped in front of a picture of the siblings, with Jason laughing, Cass smiling and Damian smirking while Tim seemed to fight off a black cat.

He could feel Bruce behind him and closed his eyes trying to exchange the picture with the one that stood in Thomas home, the one with Martha and Thomas Wayne bleeding out in a dark alley. 

“Tell me,” said Bruce calmly but with a tight anger under it. Dick felt the hand squeezing his side gently as support. He turned around looking up at him and Bruce gaze softened a little bit. It felt good that the anger was not directed at him after what had happened the last time they had met. 

Did Bruce believe him? He knew how convincing panic attacks could be. 

“He is a cruel man. He likes death and pain. He is fast to inflict it. It excites him.”

He knew that side of him best. Everybody knew this side of him best. His grandfather had always thought that Thomas always had held a soft spot in his heart for him and Dick had in fact been his favourite but with favouritism came responsibilities and expectations that had ended in pure agony. Agony his grandfather had never had to endure.  

“But he was also lonely and bitter in a way that is similar to yours. He built his own family just not in the same way you did.”

Bruce gritted his teeth at the comparison but if the man had wanted everything, he would get it.

“I belonged to that family. Like my grandfather, I belonged to the Talons. Assassins trained to protect the Court members no matter what. Thomas took an instant liking to me. I was promising. I had speed and agility on my side even with nine and I had a goal. I had the goal to kill my parent’s murderer. I was trained by my grandfather and by him” he took a deep breath and looked at the picture again, the bad things were easy to say but there had been more to those six years “He became my father. And _god_ did I love him. It did not matter how much pain I had to endure if it _only_ made him smile if it _only_ made him proud. I lived for him because I could never leave the manor. I never thought of leaving the manor. There was nothing else but him; only him, darkness and pain. And I loved it because as much as he hurt me, he was there for me. He loved me. Why else would he let me stay?”

Bruce pried the picture softly out of Dick’s hands before he could crack it.

“And then I was tested with my first kill. Tony Zucco. I searched for him, found out who he was. Lived a fake life to get my information and while striving for the mission I came in contact with the police. I came in contact with the Gordon’s and for the first time since years, someone cared, someone who was not Thomas, someone who did not push a blade between my shoulders just to enjoy the agony.”

He could feel the tears burning in his eyes.

“Barbara was too intelligent for her own good. She mistrusted me. She despised me because she knew something was wrong and James knew it too. I nearly killed them. I had already made the plan but then Barbara saw the scars and she did not look away. She thought I was only a lost scared soul that was being used and I had to meet her, again and again, to convince her it was different but the truth was” a sharp feeling of pain went through his body “the truth was. She was right.”

A hand settled on top of his head and he leaned against Bruce' chest, a few tears escaping from his eyes.

“The Talons and the Court are more deadly than you could ever believe. Promise me you won’t search for him” he whispered clutching onto the shirt tightly, then he stepped back his fists still closed around the fabric “Promise me. Please. Don’t search for them.”

Bruce pulled him closer again and kissed him on top of his head. He felt safe and warm. How often had he dreamed of being held like this in the darkness? Was this how Bruce had held Tim and Damian, even Jason after a nightmare when they had been younger? He still remembered holding Lian like this when she had feared Roy would not return. He remembered the embrace of his mother and father like this.

“I promise.”

Dick did not know how long they stayed like this but by the time he succeeded to look up again Alfred was already back. A slight smile settled on his lips when he saw the pie and Bruce let him go with a chuckle before he could pull the man with him. He settled down in the chair while Alfred looked at him encouragingly. It did not take long for him to push his fork into the food. He wondered how it would taste if Thomas praise had been justified while the two men did not leave his every move out of their sight. It tasted great, better even than he had imagined. 

“He never forgot the recipe but it never tasted this good,” he said smiling up at Alfred “I really don’t get why Bruce comes to the Club at all if he has someone like you.”  

The butler smiled back mysteriously.

“Perhaps, Master Richard, he does not search for someone like me but rather someone else.”

Dick looked at him surprised and glanced at Bruce for a short moment. He finished the pie while Alfred told him that Thomas had always liked the pie while Bruce had despite it. Dick was pretty sure Alfred only wanted to seem as if he had not heard at least a bit of their conversation but he did not call him out on it. Alfred was one of the men that were instantly trustworthy. 

Bruce stopped him before he could leave with a hand squeezing his shoulder.

“Stay. Damian will be back soon, I am sure he would like to see you.”

Dick wanted to say no. The foyer still terrified him and he was sure that not much had changed in the manor since Thomas apparent death but the way Bruce was looking at him, the feeling of his hand and Alfred’s words convinced him otherwise. A lopsided smile appeared on his face. 

“Only Damian? Now I am disappointed.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, his knuckles soothing over his cheeks.

 “For whom would you stay?”

Dick licked his lips and a cheeky grin appeared on his face, instead of simply answering he took a step back and gestured to the stairs.

“Show me what changed. Show me what is truly yours. Show me the things your true family built together with you.” 

He walked up the stairs waiting on top of them when Bruce seemed to hesitate.

“Well?”

The man shook his head but followed him up. One of the first rooms on the floor was an Art Gallery, the walls white but decorated with painting after painting and plants in the room. Old paint stood on the tables and a not yet finished painting in the middle. It was a painting of the whole Family, painted in detail Dick had not held possible.

“You have laugh lines?” he asked with a mockingly raised eyebrow looking closely at the picture and laughed “And stubble. Who drew this? Was he or she mad at you?”

Bruce looked pointedly at him.

“Sorry,” he said, the smile not leaving his lips.

“Perhaps others are just better at making me laugh, Dick,” he said nearly too serious but Dick knew a hint of sarcasm when he heard one. He shockingly opened his eyes, pressing his hand on his chest and gasped.

“You truly hurt me with your words.”

Bruce shook his head good-naturedly a small smile on his lips.

“Damian likes to draw. It is his regime if you will.”

“Yeah, Damian would definitely name it regime,” Dick said chuckling and after a moment “He is good.”

The concepts for new paintings lay around in a chaotic structure probably only Damian understood completely and a concept caught his eye. He held it up, recognizing Cassandra and him rather quickly. Bruce leaned against the table looking down at it too.

“He meant he needed a picture of the two of you together” said Bruce slowly, one of his hands curling around the wooden desk, “Of his favourite sister and his favourite brother.”

Dick looked up at Bruce curiously.

“I don’t know why but he sees you like that,” Bruce said, a slight tenseness back in his voice. Dick could not decide if Bruce was worried about Damian because of such a fast emotional bond or if it did not sit well with him how fast Dick had invaded his family. He wet his lips, looking back at the picture with a frown.

“If it bothers you, I can talk to him.”

The no from Bruce came instantly, nearly too fast and a hand settled on his shoulder.

“No, you are good for him.”

He had a feeling Bruce wanted to say more, but the man left it at that.

They wandered into the next room a few doors away in a more secluded area. Dick instantly knew why, when he saw the posters on the wall and the instruments in the room, far from the classical instruments inhabited in the other rooms of the manor.

“Steph and Jay?” he asked the room.

“What gave it away?” asked Bruce drily.

“Everything,” he said chuckling. The room full of punk, rock and alternative bands seemed nearly too cliché for the two rebellious members.

“Alfred sometimes sneaks into the room when he thinks nobody is looking.”

“You’re kidding me.”

But Dick could totally see it happen if the image he had built over the years was true to his real character. How often had he imagined an Alfred in the dark pits? Someone who would make him his favourite food and tell him stories?

They left the room behind too, walking deeper into the manor that Dick would have felt lost if he had not known the replica of the house as well. He hesitated slightly when the floors became too similar. Bruce calmingly placed a hand on his shoulder, a thumb sliding over his skin and Dick could not have stopped concentrating on it even if he had tried.

“You may have only had three years with him, but you are similar” Dick mumbled when Bruce showed him Cassandra’s small photo studio.

“How?” Bruce asked neutrally as if the similarities could make him into a monster like his brother.

“You are both intense,” he said with a slight huff a sad smile on his lips. The hand slightly curled around his nape “You go to extremes to get what you want, but you seem to care more about the ones you damage, even if your methods are not overly likeable too.”

“I am a Mafia boss.”

Dick shrugged. 

“It does not excuse you from what you do.”

They both knew he hinted at his first impression.

Finally they stepped out in the garage were some of the cars stood and Dick even saw a motorcycle which seemed to belong to Jason. Bruce favourite car was a black futuristic Lamborghini Sesto Elemento.

“Isn’t this a bit over the top?” he asked the man with a raised eyebrow when he opened the car side.

“No, it’s just a normal Lamborghini.”

Dick snorted.

“Oh, yes.  How could I forget that a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is normal?”

“For a mortal like you, it is not normal. I forgot. I am _really_ sorry.”

Dick raised an eyebrow at him and flipped him off.

“You are cross when you are trying to make a joke, B,” he said and grinned at the glare he received. He scrutinized the Lamborghini, walking around it, for him nothing looked normal. Liking mechanics was one thing but this car just seemed over the top. “Well? What’s so special about it?”

“The gadgets,” he said smirking and Dick frowned when he did not speak on.

“Come on, tell me” he demanded, walking back.

“Why?” Bruce asked leaning against the car “What do I get?”

No wonder Selina liked him so much, they were both a tease. He tilted his head, his fingertips stroking over the car with every step forward until he slid them up the window frame and stopped with his body nearly pressed to his side. Bruce had not moved, his eyes still only glancing at him.

“What do you want Bruce?” he hummed against his skin, his other hand touching his shoulder. Bruce fingertips felt hot on the inside of his thigh. A hush of excitement went through his body and his breath stopped when he felt them curling around his skin. He held completely still, breathing against Bruce neck, concentrating to refrain from pressing into the touch through fear Bruce would stop. He had not felt such a raw need since a long time ago. This was probably a bad idea but it felt good, so good.

“Damian might be back already,” Bruce said suddenly, pushing away from the car as if burned. He was tense again and the hand formerly touching him balled into a fist. Dick stared after him. The seconds ticked by, then he closed his eyes in defeat and followed without a word.  

They found the young boy in the garden. Damian was already sitting on the porch with a ball in his hand and a Great Dane at his side. It did not take long for him to see them and the dog was even faster, already running towards them with a loud bark. Bruce kneeled down to pet him but after a short greeting the dog seemed to be more interested in the newcomer, which was how Dick found himself kneeling in front of the dog while the slimy tongue was licking over his face. He laughed, pushing the dog slightly back before he could fall over.

“What’s his name, Dami? He is yours, right?” he said stroking the dog behind his ear when the animal had calmed down.

Damian nodded with a way too serious expression.

“He is. We call him Titus.”

“That’s a great name.”

The dog barked as if to agree and Dick stood up again, finally free when Damian whistled and threw the ball a few meters through the garden. It was amusing how the dog practically sailed through the air just to get the ball and he came back to Damian in a matter of seconds.

“You have to be a really good owner. He looks so enthusiastic” said Dick chuckling and Damian raised his chin as if bathing in the praise.

“Animals are more intelligent than the foolish humans I have learned to know in my life. It’s logical that they would like someone who respects them.”

“You have more animals?” Dick asked surprised and Damian nodded.

“A cat named after our Butler and a cow.”

Dick grinned and tousled his hair affectionately.

“Aw, I knew you were an animal lover.”       

Damian grunted and batted his hands away. Then he turned to his father, asking a question so contradicting to his actions that neither of them had thought to hear it.   

“Why could you not adopt him instead of Drake and Todd?” 


	12. Family

He had just wanted to leave his office to get a drink but the door opened in front of him. Damian walked in with a crunched up face not even really looking up. Dick could see the problem immediately, the bruise on his cheek had already bloomed. He frowned.

“You got into a fight?” he asked gesturing to his chair and then crouching down in front of Damian. The boy begrudgingly nodded and let Dick look at the bruise. Alfred seemed to have already taken care of the swelling but Dick took an icepack out of the mini fridge anyway. 

“Bruce is angry at you?” he had not heard about it, had not heard about Bruce since he had been at the manor. It had already been a few days ago and he dearly wanted to talk to him.

“Not as angry as Alfred” admitted Damian pressing the ice pack against his eye. Dick frowned wondering how he had gotten Alfred angrier than Bruce. The Butler had seemed to be rather calm and collected. Alfred had taken it upon himself to pick up his family from the club and every time he had met the old man he had only shaken his head about the antics of his surrogate children or grandchildren.

“How did you accomplish making him angrier than your father? It should be an impossible task.”

Damian shrugged but Dick was sure the young one knew exactly what he had done wrong. He could not think of any scenario Alfred would not at least explain where his anger came from. Not saying anything was more a Bruce move. Standing up again he walked around his desk to settle on the laptop. They had gotten a new shipment of exotic fruits only in the morning and while Wally was fine with them the real reason for choosing this shipment was a suspicion about a new smuggler ring in their territory that was neither approved by the Bertinelli nor the Wayne. It would be more interesting to the moping child if they went out for a while, even though that had not at all been Dick’s plan. He looked at the papers littering his desk with a sigh and decided that it would not hurt to at least begin with them. He left the data for the shipment open for later.

Damian stayed in the office the whole time, only standing up to get one of the psychological books that were basically for decoration. All of them knew those books by heart.

“Do you get into fights often?” he asked Damian when he transferred the contracts on a stick and opened the analyzed shipment files. The boy looked up startled by the question but he only got a shrug as an answer again. Dick sighed looking back onto the screen and taking the stick out. Kory and Victor could have dealt with the smugglers but looking down at the grumpy young boy he knew that it would really be better if he got some action.

“With whom did you get into a fight?”

Damian frowned and looked out of the window.

“Someone from school” he murmured. Dick was sure the other one had aggravated Damian but if it happened often than he could guess why Alfred had been angry at him. As far as he knew Damian was going to a prestige school. The other girl or boy could have easily been someone Bruce still needed at least for public purposes.

“Listen. If you promise me to only fight with people who could be dangerous to you” he said smiling down at him and continued when he had his attention “Then I will take you with me to a few smugglers and we will kick their butts together. How does that sound Damian?”

The younger boy simply nodded.

“Fine, it’s a compromise”

Dick smiled and ruffled him through his hair, ignoring the aggravated huff. Finding something for Damian was not difficult. He gave Damian the Kevlar-enhanced suit and a bullet-proof west. They had already bought them for every member of the family.  

Rachel looked at him with a raised eyebrow when they emerged from the room but did not stop him. He had no clue if Bruce would be alright with this. After the school quarrel, he would probably not be happy at all but the man was not here to see it and it would not hurt Damian to get a bit more practice.

“Kory?” he asked when he had started the car.

“Already there” came her voice out of the speaker.

When they came to the docks after the short drive she was already leaning against her motorcycle, dressed in a black suit with sunglasses on her face. She did not say anything when Dick stepped down the sidewalk simply taking her place slightly behind him. Damian looked at them curiously and Dick grinned down at him.

“Bruce does not let you out much?”

Damian shook his head, still an irritated expression on his face but Dick could easily recognise the curiosity behind it. The men looked up at them when they turned around the corner already tensing and Dick smiled at them, seeing the painting one of them held in his hands. The seeming leader walked up to them, face grim. 

“What do you want?” he asked gruffly eyes focusing on Damian before he looked Dick in the eyes, “Was something wrong with the shipment?”

“Everything was alright with the fruits. They are excellent. Our chief loved them. You could have made a packet of money with it, given the right clients” Dick said chuckling at his last words.

“I thought we already had the right clients,” said the man flexing his muscles and coming closer. Dick raised an eyebrow at the behaviour. Laughable.

“You should know that this is Wayne and Bertinelli territory. You don’t belong to the approved smugglers.”

The man laughed and Dick could hear the shuffling of the others.

“I don’t give a shit. If they want me to disappear, they should have called someone better” the man sneered eyeing him “Perhaps I should have made the better deal, smuggling people instead of paintings. Then I would at least get a fine price for the time I had to talk with you.”

Dick smirked even if he wanted to grit his teeth at the disgusting joke.

“You are new to Gotham” he contemplated “I will tell you the first lesson everyone learns in this hellhole. _Make a good first impression or you won’t come back_.” 

He flicked his fingers and Kory took a step forward. The man’s eye averted from him and Dick pressed his gun against the man’s chest, blocking the knife the idiot had tried to push between his ribs. Kory was already on the others and Dick hurled the leader around, breaking the knife hand and the razor clattered to the ground.

He raised his eyes to Damian, who looked at him surprised.

“Go. Have fun. Kory will protect you.”

The young boy dashed forward into the fight without hesitation a hint of a grin on his lips and Dick concentrated back at the man.

“I know who you are“ he hissed, leaning down to him the gun pressing against his forehead, while he secured the other hand with a firm grip “I know what you have done to get those paintings and I am not impressed. Not at all and I would hurt you so much if I had time to deal with scum like you.”

The man looked up at him teeth gritted but Dick could see the fear.

“Who are you?”

“That won’t answer your question,” Dick said laughing and hurled the muzzle of the gun across his head, the man falling unconscious “but I am sure you will get a visit from _them_. A name never disappears from their lists.”  

He let him lie there knowing he would not wake up for the next few minutes and watched Kory and Damian overwhelming the other men. Kory still had to cover a few openings Damian left but the boy was good, would one day become even better. He grinned at them when they both looked much happier than before.

“You did not kill him?” asked Damian looking down at the man when the last men had stopped struggling.

“No, he will die anyway.”

“What makes you that sure?”

Dick smiled secretly at him and just wanting to answer when his phone begun to ring and he saw an unknown number on the screen, taking the call on after a short wave to Kory.

“Grayson.”

“Master Richard, we were searching for Damian and thought he could be with you.”

Dick looked at the boy who helped Kory fix the leader to a post.

“He is with me. Didn’t think you had to search for him, though. Shouldn’t Bruce have an electronic spy on him?”

Alfred was strangely silent on the other end for a while.

“He can’t be serious” Dick groaned and then grimaced, “Who else?”

Alfred cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Master Bruce is simply careful. If he had been kidnapped, it would be better to know where he is.”

It actually made sense but Dick was certain Damian had no idea that he could be constantly watched and would have thrown a fit about it. Bruce was much more controlling than even Helena’s father had been but then again, Helena had not been born to a woman he had seen as an enemy.

“I’ll bring him to the manor if that’s alright?” he asked and Alfred agreed. The paintings were secured and packed by Damian and Kory. His eyes settled on a too thin man that helped them, seemingly spared from the fate of his beaten up comrades.     

“You, what’s your name?”

The man looked at him unsure but answered in a slight Mexican accent, probably one of the human beings that had been smuggled. Dick hated it.

“Ricardo Martinez.”   

“Well Ricardo, this is your lucky day. Koriand’r, the nice woman who decided not to beat you up, will show you a new working place and for that, you will help her give the paintings back to their rightful owners.”

The man nodded instantly not believing his chance and went back to helping Kory, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Instead of answering he beckoned Damian to him.

“Your presence has been requested,” he said and saw Damian’s face slightly fall but the boy followed him to the car “Did you like one of the paintings?” 

“You don’t have to buy a painting for me. I have enough money” the boy grunted and Dick glanced at him.

“Really now Dami, don’t say it as if I want to buy your love.” 

The boy huffed looking out the window.

“Do you like art?” Damian asked after a while.

“I have no clue why No 1 by Mark Rothko is worth around 75 million but I can certainly appreciate it.”

“You’re an idiot Grayson,” he said huffing slightly and it was silent again until Damian turned his face away again and mumbled against the window “Would you visit the art museum with me?”

Dick nearly did a double take when Damian asked him and stared down at the boy who gladly had his eyes still fixed on the streets. A grin spread over his face.

“Sure.”

He could see the boy’s slight smile being reflected in the glass. Sadly the peacefulness only lasted the car ride. 

“You did what?” Bruce roared when the door of the study fell closed and Dick looked up at the man defiantly. Bruce had nearly dragged him instantly into the room. 

“Why are you angry about it? He should have already learned how to behave in such situations. It’s a common thing to learn. And he can fight Bruce, you know that.”

The glare he received was probably meant to take him straight to hell.

“He is not your son! He is not your brother! You do not decide what he is ready for!”

Dick had no argument against that but he saw no reason to take that into consideration.

“He was raised to be in this world. They were art smugglers, Bruce. They were no match. I would not have taken him with me if I thought it would become too dangerous.”

Bruce' eyes narrowed.

“I know who Da Silva is,” he said “I know you do too. Don’t take me for a fool.”

Dick’s lips thinned out, his jaw tensing.  

“I dealt with him.”

“It could have gone wrong.”

“No, he was on one of their lists before I left. I knew what he would do before he knew it. I was trained for it.”

 Bruce looked at him begrudgingly.

“I don’t care. He is too young and too rash.”

Dick barred his teeth.

“I don’t get it, Bruce. Most don’t even know he exists. We are not living in a twisted version of Rapunzel. How is he going to learn?”

“I don’t want him out there,” Bruce said his voice edging on threatening “Have I made myself clear?”

Dick opened his mouth but let it fall back with a click. Bruce was a stoic idiot and who was he to tell him, how to raise a child? The man had done it two times already and Alfred was here too. Who had he raised? Lian had died, taken from them in a cruel act.

“Fine,” he said, closing his eyes to breathe through and pushed away from the desk he had been leaning on.

“You know. It would be really nice if you could stop being angry at everything I do.”

Bruce kept silent and Dick left the room frustrated. Alfred was already waiting downstairs, looking at him with suspicion. He had surely heard the roar of rage. It was hard not to. Dick smiled when the man held out the recipe for the pie.

“Thanks, Alfie,” he said and grinned when the old Butler sighed at the nickname “But I don’t think even Wally is as good as you.”

“Well, perhaps you will have to come more often,” the older man said with a twinkle in his eye.

“I guess so,” Dick said grinning and was relieved that Alfred was not angry at him too. He looked down at the recipe not really wanting to go.

“I am sure Alfred would not mind if you join dinner.”

Dick looked up surprised to see Bruce on the stairs, a somewhat resigned look on his face. Alfred nodded.

“I am sure the others would be delighted too.”

Dick did not really know what to say, still simply clutching onto the recipe when Bruce had joined them. They stared at each other until Bruce finally started speaking again. Alfred had taken a few steps back, giving the illusion of a more private conversation.    

“There is a reason why I don’t want him out there just yet. Talia still wants to take him with her. I won’t let that happen.”

Damian had no clue how much Bruce would do for him. Dick could see that now.

“I wouldn’t have let her take him.”

Bruce had stopped him from leaving again. He hoped it would not turn into a habit.  

The kitchen was probably his most liked place in the whole house. It was evident that it belonged to Alfred and had a much brighter flare than the rest. The smell was different too, the fresh herbals mixing with the smell of freshly cooked cookies. Damian already had one hand in the jar when they entered, looking slightly surprised and nearly falling off Stephanie’s shoulders.

Dick hid his grin behind a hand having to look slightly away to not break out into a barking laugh when Stephanie turned beet red. They stood humbly in front of Alfred, who had fixed them with a disapproving stare. But in Damian’s case, it did not take long for his chin to rise again. His arms crossed, he looked defiantly to the Butler as if he had done nothing wrong.

“This is our house too” he mumbled, even as Stephanie tried to shut him up by stepping on his foot. The younger boy did not even twitch. 

“This may be Master Damian but I am your Butler and as your Butler, I know it is best for you not to eat sweets before dinner. If you had told me I could have made you a snack” Alfred said disapprovingly.

“We are not children anymore!” exclaimed Damian, nose rising higher.

“Those rules apply to Master Bruce too.”

A strangled noise escaped Dick when he tried not to laugh with all his might and the glare Bruce was sending him did not help one bit. He nearly expected him to step on his foot too.

“You’ll stay for dinner?” Stephanie asked excitedly when they had returned to the dining room “Tim and Cass will be back soon too.”

“Right I haven’t seen you since the movie night. Did you already decide what you want to watch next?”

“I think we decided on In The Flesh. Tim _loves_ the series and wanted to watch it with us all along.”

“The Flash?” he asked confused and Stephanie threw her hands up.

“Oh come on, not you too!” she cried out “In. The. Flesh.”

“Sorry, Steph,” he said wincing and slightly taken aback by her outburst “Yeah, we can do that.” 

“You see each other regularly?” Bruce asked watching them and Dick shrugged.

“They come more often than you by now. I don’t have time to work anymore.”

“Aww, aren’t you a poor boy, Dickie,” said Steph grinning and patting his hand. He raised an eyebrow at the nickname only Jason had used for him until now.

“Why am I not involved in those movie nights?” asked Damian starring at them with a glare and Stephanie grinned back at him.

“Because little children like you are already in bed then!” she said winking and Damian growled.

“You know you don’t have to be invited. It’s your right to be in the Club whenever you want” Dick said as a peace offering. When the doorbell rang Stephanie was the first to go while Damian only huffed strolling after her. Dick chuckled lightly, looking back at Bruce just to notice the heavy stare lying on him.

“What?” he asked curiously.

“Nothing,” Bruce said sighing “I just can’t believe how close you got to them in such short time.”

“It’s easy for me,” he said shrugging.

“I know,” Bruce said as if he hated it. Dick did not know what to reply and before he could even really process what Bruce had meant the others were back.

They greeted each other and did not stop talking until Alfred arrived with dinner.

“So let me get this straight. You want to make Wednesday the official day for Movie Night and a Game Afternoon for Sunday?”

“Yep,” said Tim biting into the Italian bread magically appearing in front of them. Really, Alfred was fast and would Dick not have been used to Wally, he would have been scared every time some object appeared in front of him.

“You all will be the death of me. When shall I sleep? When shall I do my work?”

“Never” Cass suggested calmly or rather stated.

“You can do your work tonight, _Brother,_ ” said Tim jokingly and Dick saw Bruce tensing at the word. By now it worried Dick why the simple word had such a huge impact on his mood.  

“What? How come?” he asked shocked and Steph laughed.

“Tim and I wanted to go to the Club anyway. It’s Kory’s night. We know because of Jason.”

“Obviously,” Tim said and dug into his dinner with a grin.

“Will you come too, Damian?” Dick asked the still slight crunchy teen and sighed when he did not get more out of him but a shrug. Cass looked at him questioningly, then frowned at the bruise and Dick nodded, then shrugged. She rolled her eyes and ate on.      

“Dick told me you did a good job at the docks. We will meet with a representative of a family from over sea on Thursday. If you proof yourself you will be ready to go out on patrol with Cass.” 

Bruce suddenly spoke up and he was not the only one surprised if he was interpreting the glances correctly. Cass scrunched her eyebrows at him as if to ask what he had done.  He hid his smile behind a hand when he glanced at Bruce but he was sure the man knew it was there anyway.

In the club, Cass seemed to use every ninja skill she knew to keep her eyes on all of them. Bruce and Damian stood beside him, not too keen on mingling with the guests and it was nice to have someone staying with him. Kory made her fire stunts, knowing Jason would wait behind the stage for her. Tim and Stephanie were looking in awe at her and he could already see Stephanie asking Kory for training. He could not help but feel genuinely comfortable.


	13. Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware the clichés.

Bruce had started to come regularly again but Dick had not seen him alone since his first visit to the manor a few weeks ago. The visits from his new family had only increased and after a heavy debate, even Damian had made his way to the movie nights. He still needed to hold his promise to go to the art gallery with him. He had planned to ask him about it today but seeing the oldest Wayne alone in the bistro changed his plans. Bruce had seen enough of this place and Dick wanted to use the chance. 

“Do you still have something to do today?” he asked flopping down in the chair with a cheeky grin. Bruce frowned but shook his head, swallowing down the last bit of his chicken salad.

“I want to show you something different,” he said tugging the man up without giving him a chance to say no. He could hear the sigh coming from behind him but ignored it like the looks and grins he got from both Wally and Donna. Wally had been able to lure a few of his friends on his side with enough cookies. When they arrived at his room Bruce stopped and Dick looked at him questioningly, taking in the tense shoulders and the nearly narrowed eyes.    

“Don’t look at me like that. I am not planning on ravishing you” he huffed and saw Bruce raising an eyebrow. He could practically hear the shocked: You won’t? He rolled his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from mentioning their first time meeting here. If he concentrated he could still remember those hands on his skin. “I’m a little bit more romantic. Thank you very much.”

He opened his dresser and searched for jeans and a shirt that were roughly in Bruce size and pressed it into his hands.

“Put that on.”

He sent Bruce a glare when the man opened his mouth to voice his opinion on the matter.

“Just do it. It won’t kill you to be out of designer clothing” he said, knowing that the man would still look good enough wearing a potato bag.

He turned back to the dresser searching for a shirt and jeans of his own, satisfied with the simplicity of them he turned back and got a good look at Bruce who was about to pull on his jeans. There was honestly nothing to freak out about. He had already seen the view in their massage room, but there he had at least felt professional. In his room the whole thing looked different. Damn it. Why had he not gone into the bathroom to change? Bruce was trying to evade him and then he pulled off things like that. Dick had no idea how his mind worked. Those were mixed signals for him.

The jeans were a little bit too tight and for a moment, his sight settled on Bruce groin without him completely noticing.

“Dick,” Bruce said annoyed throwing him out of his thoughts and Dick smiled apologetically before changing as well. He did not know what strange dance they were dancing but he decided to change in front of him as well. Bruce did not look away and Dick knew he would be able to kick away any restraints that were left.

Dick grinned at Bruce and looked him over once again, checking if he had missed something and also making sure the pants would not be too inappropriate.

“This will do,” he said throwing sunglasses at him which the older male caught irritated.

“Just trust me.”

The man sighed but did not try to stop him when Dick tugged him out of the house to a back door were their own garage was. Bruce looked at their collection with interest. Only a few of their cars stood in this one, a tuned Ferrari for the car races they often participated in and a Porsche for a day out. Their black Land Rover, Massarati and Cadillac practically screamed mafia.

“Do you have a car for each of you?”

Dick snorted.

“Actually, we have more. Victor alone has three and Kory loves old timer, but they have an extra room. Honestly, we have way too much cars. I have no idea when we last drove the Porsche and don’t get me started on all the motorbikes. But I guess Roy and Jason use them now. I thought I heard them yesterday.”    

“And you said the Lamborghini was too much” Bruce stated, ignoring the fall of Jason’s name. Their relationship had become more strained with every minute Jason stayed away. 

“Yes,” Dick said gesturing Bruce to follow him, “You never told me about the gadgets.”

“I still plan on showing them to you” Bruce responded, chuckling when a smile spread over Dick’s face.

The back door led to a small alley. They used it mostly to get out unseen. Sometimes it was better to work in the slums when the people did not recognize them.   

“Would you at least give me a hint to where we are going?”

Dick smiled back at him and chuckled at the disgruntled expression.

“It’s going to be _cold_.”

Bruce frowned but followed him without complaint deeper into the alleys. They were near the outskirts of the town were the ocean began, giving the way free to see Blüdhaven. Sometimes Dick still missed the city and he knew no one but the Blüdhaven population would ever understand his strange liking to the _hellhole_. Bruce seemed to catch the fond look in his eyes.

“The Castillo said you worked there.”

Dick nodded.

“After I met Barbara and James. A change had been overdue and it worked for me.”

Bruce let the matter fall and they walked in silence until they stopped in front of an ice cream shop and Bruce looked at it incredulously.

“Dick, _no_ ,” said Bruce nearly hysterically – as hysterically as someone like Bruce could get -, but he had already grabbed the older male and pulled him in. The owner was a friend. Their club employed his children for a few hours a week to help them pay back their debts to an insurance company that had made the lives of a few people on the coast harder. Luckily the corrupt company had nothing to do with the Bertinelli, the Castillo or the Wayne and Helena’s best lawyers were about to give the company a run for their money. Dick did not even have to order strawberry and cookie when the owner recognised him. Bruce went with classic vanilla ice, staring at it as if it would be the death of him. Dick rolled his eyes good natured and gestured to follow him.

“Come on. It’s a warm day. What’s bad about ice cream?” Dick asked sweeping his tongue over the frozen milk.

“Everything,” Bruce said staring at him, nearly horrified.

“You’re too uptight Bruce,” he said laughing, sucking on the top. Bruce sighed and started to eat his ice cream silently, gaze stoically held forwards. He was actually gnawing on the ice instead of licking. Dick had to hold back a fit of laughers and a grin spread over his lips when a not so new plan formulated in his mind and hummed against the cold substance. He licked his lips, one hand grasping Bruce wrist in a light grip his stance slightly mirroring the way he had pressed up against Bruce all those weeks ago. He wanted to get back to that moment without a chance for Bruce to back out again. 

“Would you have liked it better if I had taken vanilla too? How about yoghurt?” he whispered into his ear a slight hum to his voice.

Bruce froze, nearly letting go of the ice.

“Ah, wasting it would be the worst,” he said using the light grip on his hand to pull the ice up. A shudder went down his back when Bruce fixated him with dark eyes. Dick could not keep the wide grin off his face. He licked up the droplets before they could trail further down, sucking the ice up and feeling Bruce hand tighten around the ice cream cone.

“If you don’t like it anymore, I definitely love it” he hummed trailing his hand down the bare forearm before letting go. He could not help the laugh escaping his throat, when he saw the closest expression of sulking that Bruce had ever held on his face. But there was a new grimness in the mobsters’ expression and he feared for a moment that he had gotten too carried away. He bit his lip, an apology already forming in his head when Bruce' thumb wiped over his lips.

“I can only imagine,” said Bruce, the thumb heavy on his lips and Dick swallowed, feeling the heat coiling in his stomach. He nearly opened his mouth and he was not sure what he would have done had they been in the club instead. Bruce chuckled deeply and pulled back to dipped the thumb into his own mouth.

“Don’t try to tease me with my own weapons, Dick,” he said, actually ruffling through his hair and Dick stared after him dumbfounded. A half-snort-half-sigh escaped him and they began to walk on, more or less ignoring their flirting if it could be called something so innocent.         

It was not long until they came to the area Dick often visited with the other Titans and soon after a group of teenagers lead by an Afro-American walked towards them.

“Duke” greeted Dick the teenager who grinned at him. The gang sometimes worked at the Bistro but mostly were their eyes and ears on the street. They knew everything that was going on in the back alleys, from car races over prostitution to drugs and new faces.

“What are you doing here?” Duke asked with a sideway glance to Bruce “This isn’t trouble, right?”

Dick shook his head, realising that Bruce could infuse respect or even fear into anyone from the first moment.

“Nah, I just wanted to know where the car race will be today. Victor seems to have a new favourite and I wanted to check her out.”

Duke grinned, nodding.

“Harper is something. You will like her. She even wears your colours, got a little of your flow but also Roy’s.”

“Well, she is a Harper, right?” he asked and Duke laughed, agreeing “Then I naturally have to bet for her.”

The race was held near Little Italy a short walk from them. It was a shorter race than normal because the police had started to patrol more often down here and it would do no good to get them aggravated even more. The only reason the race was held in such a controlled territory was because of the tension between the Kyle and Falcons in the normal area.

“I know your problem but Gordon… He will already have caught up on you, there will be even more patrol next time. It won’t be a good working condition.”  

“You could be right about Gordon, ” Duke said looking down onto the map he had opened to show them the sightings of other families and the police.  

“We should probably relocate our activities to the northern territory.”

Bruce came nearer, looking down on the map too and pointed on a place in the Wayne territory slightly leaning over Dick. He nearly jumped when a hand settled between his shoulder blades. Dick wondered if this was punishment for his teasing when fingertips trailed over his back. Down, down, down.

“If you really want to have a good road you should begin here and take the route through the park. Even if someone contacts the police, you will have enough possibilities to dispel.”

Duke frowned down at the map slightly nervous.

“But that’s outside of our territory. I don’t think being on Wayne ground would be good.”

Dick looked at Bruce with a raised eyebrow. He slightly lifted his sunglasses to look at Duke. It did not take long for the boy to recognize Gotham’s most known Boss and he stared back at him with an open mouth.

“You have my permission.”              

Duke left them with a grin on his lips.

“I knew someone who adopted so many kids had to have a soft spot for them,” said Dick when Duke was out of earshot, grinning up at the man. He had known about the problems after all. Bruce hummed, fingertips catching at the rim of his jeans. 

“I knew being nice to children would get me into your pants.”

Dick nearly choked on his own spit and Bruce did not stop looking serious even if the slight tilting of his head betrayed his joke. This was definitely revenge for his teasing, heck for the whole ice thing and sadly he could not stop getting all hot and bothered. There was a slight change of demeanour when Bruce watched him fighting down the blush creeping on his cheeks but Dick did not dare to put a finger on the new emotion.      

They stayed around the part of town for a little bit longer until they went to the car race and Dick walked towards the start line being waved through by a few of his young acquaintances.

“How often are you out here?” Bruce asked when they took a seat in the open café.

“We make rounds each day but personally, I don’t see the streets as often as I used to. The Club is a meeting place, they mostly come to us. I am sure you saw a few of them already.”

“I recognize a face or two.”

“It was a good decision to let Duke into your territory,” he said after a while looking at the racing cars that slowly lined up and grinned when he saw the blue and black paint on one of them. The girl looked like a full out rebel and Dick had no qualms about setting his money on her when he saw the tuned car roaring to live.  

Harper made a good start taking the first curve with just the right amount of speed. It was painfully obvious that she knew her car like the back of her hand. Self-hand tuning. She had probably done everything herself. The spectators could watch the race on the TV screen that was filled with footages of the cameras around the city a few hackers had hacked into and own cameras on the cars. Harper only seemed to have one real opponent. Watching the head-to-head race he nearly missed the unsettling feeling of being watched and his eyes snapped to two visitors outside the café. He did not recognize them. The one who had been looking turned away nearly flustered, it seemed odd on his posture and Dick narrowed his eyes. He categorized it for later and looked back onto the screen. He grinned when Harper had gotten a good advance and when he recognized the street close to the finishing line he gestured for Bruce to stand up.      

The tires squealed when Harper drove through the finishing line but the roars of the spectators did not last long, when familiar horns echoed through the alley. The sound was still faint but they would close in fast. He caught the eye of one of the teens organizing the event he recognized.

“They should be three streets away, probably coming from Sparng River. Let half of the drivers down through Little Italy and the other up to Robbinsville. Make them drive up all three short bridges.”

The teen nodded and spoke into his micro. They all knew them. They were all one of theirs. The horn blazed up again already nearer and he nodded to Bruce. Time to disappear. It did not take long until they heard the roar of the cars again, followed by little whoops of joy. Dick snorted. He still remembered being chased by the cops when Roy and he had still raced against each other for fun. It had always been more amazing to confuse the cops together and get away than the race itself. It was an utterly different high.

The police car was rushing past them when they had already disappeared in one of the back alleys again.

“How did you know how far away it was?”

“Training. Sophistication” Dick smirked “Is the day still as bad as you thought?”

“I never said I thought it would be a bad day” responded Bruce, their shoulders bumping.

“No but you looked like it, B,” he said fondly and then a shot rang out at the alley end. Both of them turned around, posture changing and tensing, to see four men standing there grinning at them. Dick recognized the two who had been watching them.  

“Well, well what do we have here?” one of them said, “Black Mask still hasn’t forgotten what you did. Time to play.”

They had a gun. In the alley was no cover. He grabbed Bruce by his arm as fast as he could and slid around the end of the ally, bullet grazing his skin but nothing more. A bullet could be easily evaded with enough distance from the gun but the alley was just an alley, too small to give much chance to avoid it.

Dick pressed against the wall a street away, concentrating on the noises they made, not needing to look around the corner to know where they were. Bruce nudged him, forming signs with one hand and Dick nodded, when he understood his plan. He dashed out rolling away from the shot and hurling the first man to the ground, disarming him with a sharp twist of his wrist. The shot, the broken fist had fired, went right through one of the goon's foot. Bruce had taken one of his out as well and Dick kicked the screaming goon in the face. An ear splitting scream rang through the ally when Bruce twisted one of them around and Dick slammed his fist into the one he still held.

“Tell Black Mask that I will come for _him_ if he so much as breathes at one of my family members."

Dick looked at them with wide eyes. The goon’s arms were hanging limply down his sides, tears streaming down his face, while Bruce held him up by his throat.

Dick flinched when Bruce let go of the nearly unconscious man. He fell straight on his face, a sickening squelching sound echoing in the alley. Bruce looked up at him with a dark expression. Black Mask was irritating him more and more it was hard to overlook.

“Bind them together,” said Bruce and Dick caught the rope, securing their hands behind their backs and tying them together with their backs to each other. He looked at Bruce, face blank not showing his worry. He was not too keen on interrogation anymore, everything he had done as a Talon made bile rise up in his throat.

“Hello, Commissioner. I have four criminals here that might interest you” said Bruce, eyes locked on his and Dick nearly recoiled from the stare. He listened to the conversation silently until Bruce ended the call with the promise from Gordon to fetch them.      

“You know the Gordons?”  

“They might be the cleanest cop’s around but tied up criminals are always worth it.”

Bruce looked back at the goons. “For that I will have to engage a lawyer tomorrow.”

A lawyer was better than more blood. Dick tugged him slowly away from them but he could see the anger still drumming under his skin. Bruce followed him silently until they came to a stop on the beach.

“Come on, you should relax a bit. That’s the reason I took you out with me” he said nudging Bruce with his shoulder and taking of his shoes to walk down to the waves. He had not expected to be confronted by rivals so deep in their territory. Relaxing before they would find every hideout tomorrow seemed like a good idea. The beach was not perfect and just as grim as everything about Gotham but it was enough. He waited for Bruce, his feet already in the water when the man finally moved towards him.

“I can’t believe you still have such a free spirit,” Bruce said when he finally stepped beside him. Dick shrugged.

“It was not easy. Not at all but I had people who helped me. There were times I did not even believe I would ever feel something like freedom. I am just glad that it’s over.”

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said and Dick looked up surprised when he felt the back of their hands brushing together. “You wanted to have a nice day. I should not have mentioned it.”

He chuckled, shaking his head and he took the chance to interlace their fingers.

“It’s alright. You did not get one either, why should I insist then?”

They walked beside each other for a few moments in silence, their hands stayed together. They stopped on a higher spot. The water was already glittering with the last rays of sunshine and it did not take long until it was gone entirely. He would have begun to shudder from the cold wind had Bruce not tugged him closer a while ago. A lone bat was fluttering above them and Dick had never seen Bruce smile like this before.

“As a child I was terribly afraid of the dark" the man offered "and them. They loved darkness. I didn't get why but I learned that they actually are wonderful creatures.”

“Can’t imagine that you were afraid of the dark,” Dick said following the flying dark spot with his eyes.

“I was terrified by it,” Bruce said chuckling.

“What changed?” Dick asked shifting in the half embrace to get a better look at him.

 “I realised that the darkness can also make everything easier,” Bruce said “It shows a simpler world.”

Dick gazed at him for a long moment.

“You also realised that it was never the dark you were afraid of, right?” he asked knowing that the real issue had always been his parent’s death and with it had come the loneliness. “All these people around you, Bruce, they care. You have a family. You will always have one.”

Bruce smiled slightly his eyes settling on their interlaced fingers.   

“You should not know me that well.”

Dick opened his mouth to respond, only then realising that he had nothing to say. Bruce raised an eyebrow and the hint of a mocking smile appeared on his lips. He looked perfect in the dim light and Dick kissed him, a short and calm meeting of lips. Before he could pull back more than a few millimetres, Bruce’s hands clawed into his back to press him closer again. His heartbeat grew faster. Their lips touched again, breath mingling and tongue tasting. They ended in a languid motion, neither of them willing to lose contact, and Dick had trouble not to melt against the otherwise stoic man.


	14. Goods

“You really don’t have to,” Dick said even if he could not stop the smile forming on his lips when Alfred opened the door for them. Bruce had called him a few minutes prior, getting them home. They had walked quite a bit and it was not only late but starting to get really cold.

“Nonsense, Master Richard,” the old Butler said with a twinkle in his eyes and Dick slid into the limousine, Bruce following after him. He felt tired in a good way. As if he had finally made something worth. He glanced out of the tinted windows, settling comfortably back into the cushions. Bruce scooped him closer and Dick hid the smile in his chest, curling up against him. Classic music was faintly playing and Dick could hear the slight hum of Alfred’s voice matching the song. He felt incredibly secure. He was slowly being lulled to sleep and the hand stroking through his hair was not helping him to stay awake.   

He was softly nudged by Bruce and looked up at him disoriented. A blush crept onto his cheeks when he realized that he had really fallen asleep. At least it got the stoic man to smile as well. Bruce settled a kiss near his ear.

“You sure you don’t want to come to the manor?” he whispered and Dick could feel a shudder travelling down his body. He wanted nothing more than go with the man.  

“Sorry, but they already had to wait longer than I wanted them to.”

It had been a free night but in their profession such nights always ended with more work and he was the boss of this establishment after all, responsible for everything. Not that it would have been a problem if he had actually told them about his plans. But he had not wanted to give Wally the satisfaction.  

“Would it really hurt them to wait a little bit longer?” Bruce asked. Lips trailing down the side of Dick's temple and fingers stroked over his lips. Dick shuddered all over again. He really wanted to stay, wanted to bath in this warmth a bit longer.  

“I am sorry,” he said apologetically, gently prying Bruce' fingers away and leaning back “but I am sure I can take you up on your offer on another day.”

Bruce frowned, a troubled expression settling on his face, which left the question why. Dick hesitated for a moment waiting for an explanation. When nothing came he settled one last simple kiss on his lips, which turned into a little bit more when Bruce pressed him back against the seat and Dick nearly gave in. 

He succeeded in leaving the car after a few minutes a dumb smile having caught on his lips. He was really tired now. The little sleep he had gotten had made the feeling even stronger. Bruce was still frowning and Dick rolled his eyes. As if he could not make the three steps home.

He waved after the limousine until it disappeared in the dark and the fresh air had made him a bit more awake. Seeing the red car he realized that Jason was visiting again. He shook his head, laughing quietly. Hopefully Kory would find happiness with him.

He went back in with a satisfied smile on his lips and a sudden giddiness that made him nearly laugh. The first thing he would do tomorrow was to call Bruce. 

Then he felt it. Felt the tremor running down his body, felt the ice grasp his heart and all his fears crashing down.

His body moved on his own accord when he felt the light shifting of the air. He jumped forward rolling over the floor, pulling out the hidden knife in his boots and stilled, with wide eyes searching the dark, his body slightly leaned forward, ready to jump. His mind was screaming at him. Bruce had lied. He had searched for Thomas, searched for the Court. He had brought them here. He should have known. Why had he been so damn naïve?

The lights went on, blinding him for a second. His eyes were burning and he barely refrained from closing them. Thomas was grinning at him with a maniacal glint in his eyes while his grandfather stood beside him. Other Talons were holding his friends to the ground but he was convinced that they were not the only ones in the building. Thomas would not take a chance of failure. 

“Hello, Richard.”

The man he had once considered his father in some strange and more fucked up way than less came towards him. Dick tensed further, cowering to unleash the energy on the spot. Thomas smiled at him all teeth.

“How strong you have become, building all this on your own. I always knew you were made to be a leader.”

Dick stayed silent, his eyes shifting momentarily to his friends and family, some of them were awake, others had most likely struggled and he felt his stomach turn. Thomas chuckled, looking back but still keeping him in his sight.

“No worries. I did not hurt them too much. Only temporarily” he said with a wink “They are your friends, right?”

The way he said it made clear that Thomas did not give a shit about their lives. He knew by the way Roy had seemingly crumbled to the floor and Donna looked at him with her eyes fixed on a certain spot that a blade was sticking in his shoulder. Wally stared at him. He was trying to mask his feelings but Dick had often enough seen the effect the Court had on others. He knew a terrified look when he saw one. But the fear in Wally’s eyes was nothing compared to the terror he felt when he realised that Jason was nowhere in sight. 

It made sense now, the reluctance just moments prior when letting him out of the car and then again, when the man had seen how tired he was. Bruce had known. He had known they were here. 

“Do you know why I am here?”

Dick gritted his teeth, staring hatefully at the man in front of him.

“I disobeyed the Court. I know the punishment.”

Thomas chuckled and shook his head.

“Oh Richard, you are still so naïve,” he said, looking over his shoulder, a twitch to his lips. Dick felt the air shift too late and the razor crossed over his back. He turned succeeding in making it a minor injury and throwing the knife at his attacker in a swift motion. His grandfather was grinning at him and Dick twisted in midflight to get out of the way of his talons. He could already feel the sting of the wound and hoped the razor had not been coated with poison.

“Don’t be stupid, boy,” said his grandfather swivelling the knife in his hand “Where would be the fun in poison if I can slice you up? Every time cutting a little bit deeper. Like the old times. The Court misses you as it’s pray.”

He could still remember the hunt. It had been part of the open training routine, the one that the Court used as their enjoyment. Five hunters and one prey. Most of his scars came from these fights. He had been the prey more often than he could count. When he had asked Thomas why one time when he had stitched up his wounds, his answer had been that the rich liked to see beautiful things being corrupted. Thomas had kissed him on the top of his head then, telling him that he especial liked the screams.

A Talon blade was thrown before his feet and he looked at it terrified. 

“Sing for me” he heard Thomas say or perhaps he was hallucinating. It did not matter. He dashed forward with a jump, tugging the knife out just in time before his grandfather's talons could tear him down. He did not stop jumping through the holes in the wall structure to get out of his sight.

He had to let himself fall to the side to escape a Talon that had decided to join the game. His shoulder hurt when he rolled himself up again barely avoiding the knife that was thrown again and sidestepping the sword. He had to buy time. There had to be a way to help his friends. He had to get at least them out of the building. His own life was unimportant. He jumped over the Talons head, digging his blade into his shoulder and pushing him over, connecting his head hard with the floor. Hopefully he would stay unconscious. The pain would not stop them if they had been injected with the serum. 

His blade clashed with one of his grandfathers and he succeeded in turning it over but his grandfather kicked him away. He slightly took a few steps back the blade drawn up and heard Thomas chuckle.

“You go one minute without an injury, your friends will have to pay.”

His grip on the blade got harder and he gritted his teeth. His anger mixed with frustration and he dashed forward again.

“And better stay in my sight, you know how fast I get bored when there is nothing interesting to watch.”

He kicked his grandfather in the stomach but the older man grasped him and threw him to the side. Dick rolled to a stop in a sitting position near his friends. The Talons tensed, ready to strike but Dick ignored them instead focusing on his grandfather. And then he felt a blade piercing his shoulder, a scream erupted out of his throat. Terror spiking. _Naïve. Naïve. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

“I decided to help you” whispered Thomas near his ear pushing him forward again, the knife still embedded in his shoulder.

He grasped it and broke it off in the moment his grandfather dashed forward again. Dick caught his sword arm and blocked his other hand with his knee while he brought his foot up in his face kicking him away and rolling away on the floor when another Talon joined the fight again. But this time it was another throwing dagger that met the Talons flesh and pierced right through his neck. Dick stared at the Talon falling to the ground. He could feel his hands shake.

“That’s my fight,” said his grandfather with a sadistic grin. Dick gritted his teeth and tried to calm down. He had to do something. Anything. They clashed again and this time he felt the talons dig into his legs, skin tearing open and he rolled away trying to get up fast enough but failing when a harsh kick pressed the blade deeper into his shoulder. A broken hissing sound left his lips but he grabbed his grandfather’s leg and kicked his good leg up again, kicking him off.

“No need to go easy on him” he heard Thomas say and looked back to the man who had walked onto the battlefield.

“You were always the one going easy on him,” responded his grandfather and Dick knew it had always looked as if Thomas was softer on him. The truth looked different. Yes, he had been cuddled at times but he had also been beaten up more than the others.

“I guess you are right,” said Thomas and Dick waited for him to make a move, dagger still grasped in his hand and standing again albeit shakily. Blood was pouring out of his wounds. He was thrown back by an explosion at his feet but was able to make a fast flick flack back. The shattered tiles hit his skin but thankfully not as hard to get stuck. Before he could fully grasp that Thomas had possibly been able to perpetrate traps, he was grabbed by him out of the smoke and Dick had no time to react before his face hit the ground. His scream was muffled by the tiles and he could feel blood filling his vision and his mouth. Thomas held him up with a hand around his throat.

“That’s what I wanted to hear, Richard,” Thomas said smiling pleasantly and Dick screamed again when his nose was righted. A blade pressed against his throat, drawing blood when his vision came back. He could feel fingernails pushing under the slit skin, slowly widening the wound. His screams sounded hollow in his own ears.

“It will take a while but I am sure I can still make you right again, perhaps even better. Killing your cargo will be one of the first steps.”

Dick’s eyes widened. A new surge of adrenaline hit him. He grasped the blade before Thomas could do more and threw him back ignoring the pain, his skin ripping open. He nearly fell over and then shots rang out, shots that did not belong to the Talons.

Thomas' face contorted in rage while Dick looked at the few Talons that had been killed. He automatically realised which had not and dashed forward in a haze, connecting his knee with the chin of one of the Talons and turning in midair to throw the other to the ground, connecting his fist with the face, while the now free members of his friends overwhelmed the other one.

Dick looked back at Thomas and his grandfather which stood half encircled by the Wayne Family in the room. Jason had his puns drawn, the others looking ready to fight too. Bruce only had eyes for Thomas.

“Brother” the older one drawled, “How great to finally meet after all this time.”

Bruce' glare was unforgiving. Dick could see the hate behind it and then Bruce shot him in the knee and Thomas toppled to the floor with a small gasp. The older brother laughed at his younger.

“Not gonna kill me? I know you don’t like to kill. I watched you. Such unbecoming behaviour, you are the mafia. Can’t do anything right, can you?”

Bruce did not grin. He looked stoic as usual when he pointed his gun directly at Thomas' chest.

“You are not my brother. You are the murderer of my parents and you will die like them.” 

Bruce shot without hesitation and for a moment, Dick thought he really had killed him but then Stephanie and Cassandra rushed forward with a tense glance to his grandfather, Cassandra remained standing while Stephanie cowered beside him to stop the bleeding. He had not met his chest, no his goal had been his spine.

“Too weak to kill as always,” said his grandfather, chuckling but both of them knew that Thomas would be paralyzed for the rest of his life and he would beg for Bruce to kill him if his brother would even care for him. He would be back in a hospital abandoned twice. This was not mercy. This was insanity.  

The last shot rang out when Jason pulled the trigger on his grinning grandfather.

And Dick could see nothing more than the two men who had raised and tormented him lying in a puddle of blood because of the man he thought he could trust. He did not even know when he had been hived up on a barstool by Rachel and Wally who looked him over and talked to him. He could hear nothing. His eyes focused on Bruce again after an amount of time he did not dare to name. He was talking to do Donna. She looked grateful for their help. They would have died if the Wayne had not come. He would not have been able to protect them.

No one saw the glass coming until it shattered beside Bruce' face just barely missing. Even Cass looked at him with wide eyes.

“Get out,” he said his voice tight with anger but his eyes had taken on a wide crazed look and his heart was beating fast again. His skin felt too tight. Bruce turned slightly to him and Dick tensed “Get out of my home.”

They had never gone after him. They had only acted now because someone had wanted them here. Bruce had searched for them and had let them right on their trail. The worry he had seen in Bruce' eyes before he had left the car, his thought that Jason had to have stayed the night because he had seen the car. The bastard had planned it. Bruce had used them like pawns and now stood before them like he was their saviour. He had been wrong about the man. He could be as cruel as his brother and it left him hollow. Are you happy now? He wanted to ask but no accusation left his lips.

“Dick,” Bruce said soothingly, hands up as if he was talking to a raging terrified dog and perhaps he had never been something different, “Listen.”

Perhaps he had always been what they had told him he was: Prey, a plaything for the rich and powerful.

“No,” he said his voice falling flat even if he wanted to scream profanities and pry the skin off of him, asking him why he had to do this to him. Why he had kissed him. But this was not about him this was about his family. “You used them and I won’t forgive you for that.”

Bruce stepped forward a frown on his lips.

“Dick, I never” he started and Dick could feel the last of his restrained tear and something else that filled him with more pain than any abuse from Thomas had ever been able to do.

“Don’t. Lie. To. Me!” he growled his face contorting and his hand clawing into the wood of the plate. Blood dripping down his arms. His voice broke. He could feel tears burning in his eyes. _Weakling._ “Just go.”

Bruce jaw tensed but he nodded and the others followed him, a look of guilt on their faces. He sagged back into the arms of Rachel and Wally and closed his eyes. They spoke silently around him treating his wounds and the few they had gotten. He fought back the tears until they all settled into the living room huddled together. It was only then, among his best friends, among his family that he let himself cry. They were alive and breathing. They had not died and that was what mattered.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am totally not sorry.


	15. Scars

Bruce' smile was cold when he looked down at him.

“Did you really think I would listen to you?” the man asked grabbing a hand full of his hair in a mocking caress “I finally found the murderer, why would I hold a dumb promise?”

The laugh resounded around them and Dick felt as if he could not breathe anymore as if water was flooding his lungs. It was cold, goose bumps racing over his skin and he forced his breath out in a white puff of air, the hand in his hair loosened and tilted his head up. Thomas looked at him chidingly.

“What did you think little one? Did I not tell you nobody would be better for you than me? Did I not tell you often enough that the outside world is cruel?”

The talons were drawing blood, sinking deeper into his cheek, bit by bit. He desperately wanted to move but he could not. The sharp edges swept down over his throat in a caress. Dick could feel the blood flowing warmly over his skin down, down, down freezing before it could reach the ground. His breath rattled and his hands were shaking. The pain was cursing like fire through his veins and he searched frantically for Thomas but his eyes only locked onto two still bleeding bodies lying on the floor, the only thing that shone wine red in the darkness.

He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face and a hoarse scream left his lips. He was roughly tugged back, a hand over his mouth and he could feel a needle piercing through his skin. “Hush,” said Bruce, placing a kiss on top of his head “It won’t hurt with this.”

He could feel the substance flowing through his body like an alien object and fear overtook him. He started trashing but the fight was useless. The grip remained unyielding. He could see the Talons crawling out of the shadows, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness, talons scraping over invisible walls.

“Sing for me.”

He did not stop fighting but even when the hand fell off his mouth, his screams got lost in the darkness, while the slices echoed loudly in his ears. Blood was filling his mouth. He knew the unbearable pain that would follow after the drug subsided.  Thomas was looking down at him with a satisfied smile, hands caressing over his tear-stained cheeks. Bruce stood behind him, silently watching while the Talons ripped him to shreds.  

“You will learn to like it again. Crave it. Live for it.”  

He stared into worried green eyes. His breath was going fast, little frantic gasps coming out of his mouth. Roy hugged him closer, pressing him into his chest while Dick could do nothing but shudder in the embrace, digging his fingers into the skin above his own heart. Roy was gently prying it away and Dick realised that he had ripped open his own skin.

Wally was there too. A frustrated expression had taken over his face, fingers digging into the blankets and after a minute of silence he spoke up.

“You should not sleep alone. You know we won’t throw you out if you want to stay closer to us” said Wally looking at him nearly pleadingly. 

“I don’t need it, ” he said stoically but his body still shuddered and he could still feel the needle pushing under his skin, the blood in his mouth, the mocking.   

The next night he fell in bed together with Wally and Rachel and soon enough he found himself rotating like a child between the double bedrooms of his friends. Roy and Donna taking him in without a question. Sometimes Kory would stay with him too but Jason and she were nearly not found alone these days. It made it difficult to stay with the two of them. Jason and he never remained too long in one room. Jason only looked at him from afar. He wanted to be angry at Kory for trusting him but Dick could see the guilt in his eyes he tried so hard to hide. There really was no need to blame Jason. He had not told him about his past and neither did he believe that Bruce had told the others. It did not mean that he could just be normal around the man, he could not be normal around anyone anyway.

Jason was the only one who had come around after the incident. He was the only one who had seen how broken the events had left him. He would have favoured if nobody of the Wayne had seen.

He had not talked to Helena about anything since then, had even ignored her, leaving most of his responsibilities to Donna if it meant meeting people. But Helena was someone who caught up to things fast and it should not have surprised him when she suddenly stood in his office, arms crossed with rage visible on her face until she took in the dark circles under his eyes.

“What happened?” she asked briskly walking to him and he could not turn his face fast enough before she had stopped him with a hand on his cheek. He could not refrain from twitching away. He kept his silence when she scrutinized his face, her expression darkening with every passing moment.

“Who did this to you?”

His nose had not completely healed yet nor the wound in his shoulder and a few deeper slices were left too.

“Doesn’t matter” he mumbled looking back at the paperwork in front of him.

“Oh no, don’t start with that again,” Helena said energetically throwing the papers off his table. He stared up at her blankly. He could not tell her. She would not be able to do anything anyway. In the end she would perhaps even make it worse. She would not forgive Bruce. 

He would have liked to see her rage directed at him. But Bruce would destroy her and it would have been his fault. He could not let that happen.  

“I can’t tell you.”

“My family protects you” she shot back.

“The threat has already been dealt with.”

Helena crossed her arms again, looking furiously down at him.

“Is that why I have not heard from you for over two weeks? Have you looked at yourself?” she said frustrated “You look like death.”

Dick shrugged his shoulders. The nightmares had only recently gone away but he was still restless and anxious.

“You don’t have to care about that. It’s just an inconvenience.”       

Helena stared unbelievingly down at him.

“Fine” she snapped and Dick winced when Helena left the office with a loud bang of the door. He let out a shuddering breath and leaned back against his chair, staring down at the papers covering his floor.

“Damn it!” he roared bringing his fist down onto the table, nails clawing into the wood, ripping open the expensive material, nearly breaking his nails. He calmed his breath again and took his sunglasses off the shelf. The others did not try to stop him when he walked out of the club.  

He had not left the safety of the building for the last two weeks and his senses were working in overdrive. Even the soft wind left him on edge and his eyes snapped to every new passant he could make out on the streets. Would the Court come after them or after the Wayne? Would it even go on without Thomas? He had never met many of them, barely knew their faces anymore.

He settled down at a new café he had wanted to check out for a while and ordered a coffee, looking over the park. He nearly jumped out of his seat when a hand settled on his shoulder his hand jerking down to the hidden blade in his shoe when he realised that it was only Duke with Harper standing behind him.

“Hey Boss,” said Duke enthusiastically, “I thought you would like to hear about the new races.”

Dick smiled at him, hoping it did not look as strained as it felt.

“Sure.”

“I hoped so. The Wayne territory is amazing” said Duke grinning and Harper nodded.    

“The cops leave us mostly alone up there and we even get more visitors. It’s amazing for the income.”

Dick laughed but could not do much more. He offered them a seat, talking with them would hopefully be a bit distracting. The feeling of threat had not gone away.

 “Yeah, that might be because the big bad wolf lives up there.”

Harper snorted looking unbelievingly at Duke.

“You call him the big bad wolf?” 

“You have a better name?” he asked playfully offended.

“I don’t know, just thought he was more the vampire type,” said Harper shrugging “With the grimness and the outgoing life as front, the Wayne work in the dark after all.” 

Duke nodded thoughtfully.

“But they are more like a pack don’t you think? I mean, I can see him as a Vampire but we have to find a better name than that. Too much glitter attached to it by now.”

Harper grinned and agreed.  

“How about _The Bat_?” Dick mumbled, hoping to close the topic and simultaneously remembering the night before everything gone to shit. It still felt as if razors were stabbing through his heart every time he thought about the day. Had everything been a lie?    

They loved the idea and Dick quickly asked Harper how the races were going for her and how she had gotten involved with cars. With a promise to give them out a drink, the two stayed a bit longer and the talk about the machine becoming a welcome diversion from his current problem.

It was three days later that Damian stood in front of him in their kitchen, looking up at him with his usual stoic expression. Dick had not been able to do anything than stare back down at him for a few seconds but then he let the youngest Wayne in his room. His friends had looked relieved about the decision and Dick hoped the visit would have a similar easing effect on him. Damian looked around in his room, taking in the pictures. Bruce had looked at them the same way, after they had bonded in the bathroom after the show. He wanted nothing more but to throw up, something that became common.

“What do you want?” 

It came out harsher than he had intended it to be but Damian looked unfazed by it.

“I am not here because of what happened. I won’t clean up behind my father.”

Dick doubted Bruce would have wanted him too but he stayed silent only sighing and flopping down onto his bed, watching Damian roaming around his room. Normally Dick would have stopped him from searching through the drawers but he did not care at all, not even when Damian found the Talon blade with fresh blood on its cutting edge. Some part of him wished Damian would say something. 

“My mother will visit us,” said Damian, turning around and walking over to the bed sitting down too “I guess she will ask me if I want to come back to her.”

“And?” he asked swallowing, fearing the direction of the conversation.

“Should I do it?” Damian looked at him with the most open expression he had ever seen on his face. He let out a humourless laugh. Why did Damian have to come to him? He was not the best to ask that question right now. He wanted to throw him out, as far away as he could but he gritted his teeth and looked up at the ceiling instead.

“My mother trained me and she was there for me in the first years, until I wanted to see my father despite the consequences,” Damian explained, then stopped. The silence expanded.

“Sometimes I think he does not want me.”   

Dick’s gaze snapped to Damian, slightly rolling over to get a better look at his expression. The boy shifted away. He could find nothing insincere on his face.  

“If Cass or Alfred told you to speak to me about your father, go,” he said his voice tight and biting. Damian winced but the boy stayed. Dick pushed himself into a sitting position, even though it felt as if he had no strength left.  

“I am not an expert at dealing with your father,” he said dully. He had no clue if he had ever understood him. “I don’t know why you came to me.”  

Why did he have to deal with this now? It was not fair, not fair at all.

“You are his child. He is proud. He loves you.”   

Damian looked unconvinced.

“He also loved mother and left her,” he said and an unsure look settled in his eyes, entirely uncommon for Damian “He loves you and hurts you.”

Dick dug his nails into the blankets. Damian had no idea how much he wanted those words to be true. If this had been in any way a scheme of Cass he would end her. If this was Alfred’s he would too. Dick patted onto the covers next to him and Damian came nearer, Dick slightly leaning on the unmoving brat.   

“He loves you. He is proud of you. Not just because of your fighting skills. He showed me your room, with the paintings, you know? He is proud of that too. He has kept you away from the fights because he feared he might lose you. You are a brat, Damian, you are insufferable but you are his child” Dick mumbled “I don’t know your mother. I can’t tell you who might be better for you. Perhaps it’s not really a decision between him and her. Perhaps you should not ask yourself the question: Who do I want to stay with? But rather: How will their environment, their people affect me?”

Damian did not say anything after this for a long time. Dick squeezed his knee and let himself fall back onto the cushions. He watched the brat. Damian was restless. His hand’s fiddling with the blankets. Dick closed his eyes, focused on the soft breath and curled in on himself. He knew Damian had to decide on his own. No one could make that decision for him. 

He was nearly asleep when he realised the shift of weight on the mattress. His reflexes worked faster than his mind. One hand trapped over the mouth to stop any warning sound the young boy could make, the other raised with a pen between his fingers, ready to strike down. His eyes widened when he looked into his victim's eyes and he let go of him as if burned, averting his eyes. Damian slowly settled up, lips pressed into a frown.

“Todd told us about your condition,” he said scrutinizing him “I did not think it was still that bad.”

Dick wanted to tell him that it was not but no words left his lips, knowing he would have killed him if he had not realised who he was in the last second. He did not even know he were the pen had come from. There was probably a nest of weapons under his pillow.

“Whatever you think, father certainly did not want this to happen,” Damian said, slowly coming nearer again and reaching out to him “I did not say it just like that. He really lo-”

“Don’t,” he said icily and Damian pulled his hand back again. 

Dick did not want to hear it, he did not even want to believe in it. It was better if Bruce had just used him if everything had just been about him as a means to an end like it had been back at the Court. He would be able to deal with being used. He could deal with being a tool. He could not deal with love as an excuse. 

“Fine if you don’t want to hear it” the boy huffed and then pulled out the painting from his bag Dick had only seen as a rough draft. 

“The people around my mother are not worthy enough to stay with her. I want to be like Cass and you. I want to change and I want a chance.”

Dick chuckled, blinking the tears in his eyes away. He had to stop crying, it was pathetic. 

He got his hands on Damian before the boy could disappear again and locked him in a firm embrace. Damian struggled in his grasp for a moment. With a sigh, he relaxed and Dick held onto him for a moment before letting him go, placing a kiss on his head. It did not earn him a noise of disgust for once, nor was he pushed away when his three-second hugging limit was up. Dick did not say anything when Damian took the Talon blade with him.  

It was Alfred who waited downstairs for the young boy and Dick was not even sure if he could look the man in the eyes, too afraid for pity or words he did not want to hear. His eyes attached to the ground until he made the mistake to look up when Alfred wished him a good evening. He knew Damian and Alfred had turned around by now but his eyes settled onto Bruce before he could prevent it. The man an unmoving marble statue, dark eyes taking him in, the pressure on his chest grew.  

It took far too long for him to get his limbs under control again. He felt no relief when he finally turned around, the gaze following him until he stood on top of the stairs. He gripped the railing harder and focused his gaze on the wall he knew was a window.

“Just go.”

It sounded like a plea.


	16. Celebration

Nothing had changed. He had not talked to Bruce and Donna was still handling the meetings with him, sometimes Dick even went as far as to avoid the club altogether when the man was visiting. He knew his friends were on his side but they still thought he should talk to him. They were right, he was not foolish enough to think he should at least get closure but knowing did not mean that he was ready.

After Damian’s visit, the others had slowly come back to the club. First Cassandra with Damian, they had brought him onto other thoughts surprisingly quickly after he had learned that they had never seen the older Disney cartoons. Cassandra was surprisingly keen on Cinderella while Damian liked every animal more than the actual characters, not that Dick could blame him. 

After seeing that he would not kick either of them out instantly or at all, Tim had one day stood on his porch just to take him to amusement mile. He had not known how Tim had found out about his childhood. He had just assumed that there was still a file off a Dick Grayson that had disappeared after his parents had died. And then Tim had told him about his first circus visit, about the acrobatics and had shown him a real picture. Dick had not seen a framed photo of his parents and him for years. He would have been overwhelmed by his past right then and there if Stephanie had not dragged him onto the next attraction she could find. She was surprisingly good in dagger throwing.

It was different with Jason and Alfred. Jason was still keeping his distance, he was not good with guilt but Dick did not blame him for the night. Alfred. Dick knew the butler had to have known about the plan. It was hard to accept that he had not stopped Bruce. If Bruce could not see the damage it would do, then at least Alfred should have.

He was someone who got over his past, someone who could accept it but this was different. Bruce was the present and the present had thrown him back down into the pit.  

Evading Bruce had an end when the Wayne family decided to celebrate Tim’s birthday in a big fashion. It was a formal event. Even with Damian’s involvement in his father’s life many people still saw Tim as the best heir. On such an event it was always difficult to decide how many enemies would show up, sometimes none, sometimes many. It meant they would need every man and woman they could get. He would have to face Bruce but just because he had to, did not mean it would be easier. At least he was not the only one. It would be the first time since years that Donna and Roy would have to encounter their former crime families.

He looked up into the mirror, dead eyes staring back at him until they were glossed over with a mask, shining happily. It looked so unreal that Dick could not stand it. The dark circles around his eyes were more prominent than even a few days prior. He had hardly slept and finally took sunglasses from the board. It was better and now he only had to concentrate on the grin forming on his lips. He had to adjust it a few times to make it less forced but then his appearance actually looked acceptable.

He made his way down the stairs just in time to see a delighted Tim coming through the front door. Dick smiled at the boy and saw him hesitate. He had not been keen on physical contact outside of a few people. Dick knew the hesitation Tim showed was kind of his fault, even though he had no reason to be guilty about it but he had no right to spoil the day. The hug caught Tim off guard but after the initial surprise, Tim returned it fiercely.   

“I hope you will like what we got you, Timmy” he chuckled taking a step back again. Cassandra, Damian and him had searched for a present for weeks. He was sure the young man would like it, with Cassandra it was incredibly hard to get a bad present and he himself was not bad with presents either.

“I’m pretty sure I will,” Tim said standing awkwardly in front of him, a slight blush on his face “Thanks.”

Dick shook his head, laughing. Only Tim could be embarrassed by this.   

“Don’t thank us yet. And, well, Vic is pretty proud of his too” he said winking. Tim grinned at him with shining eyes and nearly bounced past him towards Victor and Garfield, leaving him to great his other three… siblings? And then only the two adults were left to greet. Alfred kept his usual distance but it was obvious that he was purposely keeping to the sidelines and Bruce was silent. He had no idea how long they stared at each other before Damian tugged him away. He only knew that Bruce had made a step towards him by then.  

“Why did you not show us this room yet!” Stephanie exclaimed whistling when they had brought them to the exclusive rooms. Alfred looked delighted at the buffet Wally had created and the others were not unimpressed either. Jason rolled his eyes at the semantics and his eyes looked defiantly at Bruce when his boss walked towards him. Dick could only imagine the tension between them. Jason had not been at the manor for days.   

The room filled soon. The Wayne had many ties to outer families as much as to Gotham’s. The Kent and the Themyscira Family seemed to be something special to them though or at least to Bruce.      

He was following Bruce like a silent shadow simply out of professionalism and concentrated more on the way Tim and Connor kept looking at each other when they thought nobody would see them. It brought a real smile on his lips. He just wondered how Stephanie felt about it. She did not seem to be angered by it. Cassandra and she looked as if they were as amused by their behaviour as he was.

“Ah, you already saw our love birds,” said Clark a grin on his lips and Dick hummed.

“It’s hard to miss” he admitted. He had not participated in the conversation between the three bosses but the things he had heard let him believe that neither Clark nor Diana was someone he would not be able to get along with. Donna had always described Diana as a great woman and he could see the resemblance between the two, the nearly unbearable strength.

“They still think nobody knows about it,” Diana said looking at them “Fools.”

“It’s hard not to be a fool for love” Dick contemplated and Clark laughed.

“That is probably true,” Diana said and she gazed over at Donna “How is she? I never thought I would see her again.”

Dick tilted his head, gaze sweeping over the forlorn expression her face.

“She speaks off you as if you are a queen. I am sure she would like to speak to you.”

A sad smile formed on Diana’s lips but she said nothing to his suggestion and Clark frowned beside her. The freedom Donna had searched for had never been possible under Diana’s wing. Donna had been found by coincidence but when her physical resemblance to Diana had become apparent she had been educated to become Diana’s doppelganger, used as a political device and nothing more. It was not Diana’s fault but she was still part of the problem.

“You really should speak to her,” Bruce said. For a moment Dick had forgotten that the man was standing beside him and his eyes swept up to him, only to realise that Bruce was not looking at Diana at all. And he realised that those words had probably not even been meant for her but he could do nothing more but part his lips in response. It was easier to look away this time but he could feel his unwavering gaze constantly on him and it was making him edgy and anxious. Breathing alone was hard. Keeping his face clear of those emotions was even harder.   

Thankfully it did not take long for Helena and Selina to come to the unofficial meeting point. Helena was still angry at him but telling her was no option and she at least talked to him. The real problem of the evening turned out to be more than just Bruce alone. Dick had completely forgotten that Selina and Bruce flirted on a regular basis. She was pressing into his side, one hand on his chest. He hated that it hurt because it should not. He should have been glad that Selina was grabbing his attention to the max.

“Can I have him for a moment, Bruce?” Helena asked smiling slightly, hand already settling on his biceps. Bruce looked up from Selina and Dick averted his face nearly instantly. Helena did not wait a moment longer before pulling him away. Dick let her drag him away. He wanted to scream at her but the careful mask he wore was already crumbling.

“What did he do?” asked Helena whispering, nearly crowding him against the end of the buffet. A few of the guests looked at them interested and Helena swung his arms around his neck, tugging him even closer.

“I am not blind, Dick. Tell me what he did” by now she was nearly whispering against his lips.

The corners of his mouth were twitching downward but he controlled his emotions with a shuddering breath. It let Helena grow more worried and he could feel her tense up.

“Leave it be” was his monotone answer. Helena gritted her teeth but she did not say anything else, probably realising that making him crumble down at a party hosted by the club was not a good idea. And she could make him crumble down. She was one of the people that could actually dissect him pretty well if they wanted, in this state at least.   

The bosses looked at them questioningly when they returned, well, all but Bruce whose jaw was looked as if he might bite it in two. Dick smiled slightly at them, trying to find an excuse but Helena responded faster than he could.

“I just don’t see him often enough since someone stole him from me,” she said with a wink. Selina laughed clutching onto Bruce’s arm but he did not seem to be delighted by those words at all if the nearly not noticeable way his eyes narrowed was any indication. Clark and Diana glanced at each other seeing the reaction too. Dick did not want to know what they were thinking by now.  

“She is joking. She is just bad at it” he said before Helena could speak on “but we should be used to that by someone else already.” 

Diana snorted and a grin spread over Clark’s face. Selina patted Bruce good natured on the chest while Helena looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes, seething internally. Bruce did not show any physical reaction.

It was a few hours later, that Bruce gestured to follow him out of the room. For a moment Dick considered to stay but if there was a moment he should use to talk to Bruce, then it was now. It did not make the first step out of the room easier and he convinced himself it would have been too unprofessional to let Bruce wander around alone. He took the lead and they reached his office without uttering a word.

He could hear the clicking of the lock before he could even fully turn around to look Bruce in the eyes. His reflexes nearly made him take a step back. He was not scared that Bruce would attack him but there was no trust either. Crossing his arms helped to make him look more courageous than he felt. In reality it only served to hide the fact that all he wanted to do was embrace himself. Their staring contest went on, neither ready to do the first step until Bruce started walking towards him. Dick remained still, fingertips pressing into his arms, spine straightening and toes digging into the ground.

His sunglasses were taken off and his eyes narrowed through the sudden brightness. Bruce took in his appearance, undoubtedly seeing the dark circles under his eyes. The sudden heavy hand on his shoulder nearly let him flinch.

“If I had known it would hurt you this much, I would not have done it.”

Dick kept his face carefully blank, firstly because he could not decide if he should break down or rage and secondly because it was a lie but he wanted it to be the truth, badly.

“I wanted you to know that they will never be able to harm anyone again but I did not want you to have to fight against them.”

The silence stretched between them and Dick would not be the one to break it.

“I know you think I am lying but I am not. I searched for him because I wanted revenge. I wanted my justice. His death was my only goal. Then you told me about the Court and it became more than just revenge for my own sake. I want to take them down, all of them” his grip around Dick’s shoulder tightened “If this had only been about my parents I would have shot him and then I would have been done with it. But it’s not, not anymore.”

Bruce was still staring into his eyes and if Bruce had done a minor crime this would have been enough of an apology for him, enough of an explanation.  

“Are you finished?” he asked his blank voice turning into a growl and he shrugged the hand of his shoulder, eyes blazing. It was better to be angry.  

“Don’t tell me this _bullshit_. You brought my darkest nightmare to my friends, my family without blinking an eye. You wanted me to sleep in _your_ bed while my family was taken hostage. When we build this” he gestured around “There was no night I slept. I thought they would come back, out of the shadows, killing all of them and then I would be back in the pit.”

Bruce was not even gritting his teeth. He looked calm as if he had anticipated his words.

“Have you never asked yourself why they never came? You did not even hide. You made it easy for them to find you.”

Dick stared unbelievingly at him and in the next moment he clawed his fingers into the other's shirt, looking hatefully up at him and barring his teeth.

“Try hiding from the hidden, _Bruce_. You _broke_ your promise. You _lied_ to me. You _used_ me. And you knew it too! You knew how much this would hurt me!” the last words only a roar and then he laughed. He did not even know where so much desperation was coming from “but that was just an inconvenience because all you care about is your goal.”

He swallowed the tears down, the pain that was trying to break through. A sarcastic grin appeared on his lips by pure will and he took a step back.

“I know you don’t care. I know men like you. Who told you to tell me this sentimental hypocrisy? Alfred? Cass? Tim? _Damian?_ Even he understands that you are an asshole. The _poor_ child thought you did not love him. I wonder how he came to that _absurd_ idea?”

He chuckled. It was easy to step closer again and he pressed up against the strong body feeling the muscles like sharpened stone. Their eyes locked; one pair stoic the other shining dangerously. Insanity. He knew that well.

“I was wrong, _Brucie_ ” he whispered against his lips, a grin splitting his face and he pulled slightly back again. “You are just as cruel as _him.”_

The slap echoed loudly through his office. He touched his cheek and looked back at Bruce with wide eyes, too shocked for a moment. Before his face could twist back into anger he was pushed back against the wall. His body tensed expecting screaming and violence instead he felt agonizingly soft lips on his. It was a sharp contrast to the fingertips bruising his skin.

“I care” Bruce whispered, “I know I made a mistake but I care for you.”    

Dick knew he meant it but the hurt did not stop because of it.

“Tell me you don’t want this,” said Bruce, placing a second kiss on his lips. It filled him with warmth. “Tell me to stop.” 

He wanted to run. He did not want to be confronted with this. He wanted the hurt to stop. Then Bruce started kissing down his neck, warm puffs of air and lips trailing over his skin. The bruising fingertips had disappeared exchanged for hands roaming over his body. No word escaped his throat.

“Come on. Push me away.”

He leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, not knowing what to do.

“I can’t stop it from ever happening” Bruce whispered against his skin and kissed the slightly red cheek. Fingers caressed his skin, drawing patterns over his back and stomach, fingers lightly pressing into the hollow of his hip bone. Dick could feel his pants being dragged down and opened his mouth to say something, anything when lips met his again. This time the softness and sweetness had gone. Bruce was demanding and there was a force behind it, that made Dick open his mouth automatically. The hands had stopped their descent curling around his hip. A leg pressed up against his groin, his breath hitched and for a moment it was all too much. He brought his hands up, planning to push Bruce away but when his fingertips touched the expensive clothes he pulled him closer.

By the time they parted he was completely pinned against the wall, breath ragged.

“I would never have led someone die,” Bruce said emphatically and settled a lingering kiss on his hairline. Bruce was telling the truth at least in this, but how could it be enough? Dick looked at his hands, lying flat on the broad chest. Bruce was waiting for his next move.

Dick had trusted him. It had been his fault that he had been too naive to see behind the lies. There was no need to make the same mistake again. Helena had warned him and Rachel had told him that Bruce was a dangerous man but he could still remember the other thing Rachel had said that he was not evil.

Dick closed his eyes, tried to find the strength to push him away but he never stopped clinging to the material and his grip only tightened when he pressed their lips together as hard as he could. It was more a baring of teeth than anything else but then he deepened the kiss and a bit of the tension fell away.

A hand curled around his neck, blunt nails scratching up his nape and a shuddering breath left his lips. He was pulled closer. Bruce hoisted him up, a firm grip on his behind and Dick wrapped his legs around his waist, arms winding around his neck. He did not want to think about his actions now. He already knew he would hate himself in the morning for giving in but now it felt good. The razor sharp pain he had felt for the last days - _weeks_ \- was becoming bittersweet.

Hot breath fanned over his neck and Bruce stopped right under his ear, blunt teeth scraping over the sensitive skin until lips had left a mark. The soft kisses returned but were soon exchanged for short nips down to his collar bone. His head hit the wall with a dull sound when he let himself fall back, his hands working their way under the expensive suit. He rocked against the hardness in Bruce’s pants, hands wandering up the strong body. His feet were touching the ground again when Bruce sealed their lips. His eyes widened when he felt Bruce grasping him through his pants. A gasp left his lips.

He pushed him away, muscles tensing under his skin, breath going fast. He had decided that he wanted this and now he could not do it.

He pressed the heels of his hands to his closed eyes while he leaned back against the wall. Bruce was silently - warily - watching him when he opened them again. He licked his lips, pressed his tongue against his teeth then he stepped forward again, laying his hands on the broad shoulders. Looked past him for a moment before his gaze focused on the blue eyes, he lay his hands on his cheeks.

“How can I trust you?”

Dick could feel him making a step back, his nails carving into his cheeks to make him stay. Red streaks were already visible.   

“Bruce” he stressed the name but it still sounded like pleading. Bruce gently pried his hands away to distance himself further.

His heart hammered in his chest. For a moment Dick felt vulnerable and used again. He had every reason to mistrust him and they both knew it. Bruce closed his eyes, exhaling and then he turned towards the door. God, it hurt.

“You’re just giving up?” Dick asked voice strained, nails digging into his own hands. Bruce turned around, fingers already grasping the handle.

“If you can’t decide what you want, I won’t push you.”

“I never said that I could not decide. I asked a question.”

“And we both know that I can’t give you the answer.”

Dick remained silent. His mind was reeling but felt empty at the same time. It was hard to form the words, his teeth gritted and his gaze slowly coming up to look into the blue orbs.  

“I don’t want you to go.”

Bruce opened his mouth.

“I mean it,” he said angrily and Bruce remained silent.

“I do. _Really._ ”

Bruce still looked as if he was about to leave but then his shoulders sacked and there was a sudden softness in his eyes that Dick had not seen before. Relief was the right word and for the first time Dick knew that he had not been the only one hurting. It was the only evidence he would get that Bruce was in fact feeling guilty.

Dick was treading a fine line, even if it was his own. He had no idea what exactly he was trying to archive. He just knew that the needed something from him. Closure, perhaps.  Comfort.  The truth. Love.

They did not join the celebration again. How could they?

Dick pushed Bruce against the door of the elevator, with more force than necessary. Perhaps this was the wrong choice, perhaps he simply wanted to convince himself that he needed this. He nipped at his lips and bit down when the friction was not enough, his nails carving into his skin. When they arrived in his room, Dick lost no time to move them onto his bed. He did not want to think about the things he was doing. By the time they reached it, both of them were only wearing pants and even they were gone in a blink of the eye. The only fabric still covering their skin was underwear. Dick took a moment to gaze over the Adonis body and pulled the last bit of fabric off Bruce easily but when his thumbs hooked under his own underwear his throat constricted. He swallowed thickly, his heartbeat increasing.

“Dick,” Bruce said slowly, thumb sweeping over the bruising cheek “Stop. Leave it on.”

His hands settled beside Bruce’ body and he relaxed again. Why hadn’t he just said no? Why hadn’t he just left Bruce in his office, why had he not let Bruce leave? Because he did not want to but he also could not go further.

Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid_.

Dick’s hands curled around the blanket and then he gently laid his hands on top of the broad chest. Bruce raised an eyebrow and Dick swallowed nervously.

“Can I just touch you?”

“Yes.”

Dick huffed. He had no clue why he had been expecting a _no_.  

He let his hands glide up the strong frame, pressed his open mouth against the heated skin and bit down on Bruce’ jugular. It earned him a low grunt and a rough hand settled on his back curling against his spine then it slid back down onto the bed as if Bruce had just realised that he was not allowed to touch. A play with power had not been on Dick’s mind when he had asked the question but he did not correct him. He let his hands glide down the strong arms, memorising the structure and interlaced their finger, pinning the bigger hands to the mattress. Bruce kissed him again, slowly, languidly. And Dick smiled into the kiss before he mouthed along his jaw, eyes half closed to concentrate on the sensation. Strong arms curled around him when he stopped, simply lying on top of Bruce. His eyes closed again and again while Bruce drew unfamiliar patterns into his skin.

“You are still hard” he mumbled against the hot skin while Bruce massaged his scalp.

“I’ll be able to deal,” said Bruce and Dick grinned against his skin.

“Really? Because I won’t move.”

The only indication that Bruce was thinking about his words was the short hesitation of the fingers in his hair.

“Really, because it means I will still be here tomorrow and I would give up a lot more than my basic needs.”

Dick smiled.

“If it’s like that. I would appreciate if you could roll me off. This position is nice now but it's hell to sleep like this.”

“I’ll shift when you are asleep” Bruce replied.  

Dick hummed in approval and pulled the blanket over them. He slightly woke up when Bruce shifted to settle both of them on the cushions. He was pulled closer and he involuntarily tugged his head under Bruce’ chin. It was near enough to understand the other’s words even when half asleep.

“You know, I can’t believe you are letting me stay.”

This was not over but it sure as hell felt better than the pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a pain in the ass and the next will be even harder to write. I hope it was still good because I really reached my frustration limit today.


	17. Everything

He woke up in his arms, Bruce more or less trapped over him. Despite his earlier assumptions the content feeling had stayed, which did not mean that there was no underlying tone of frustration. He shifted slightly. Through his nightly moving his position had become uncomfortable. Bruce had somewhat constricted his normal movement behaviour and he was kind of glad for it. Helena might not have wondered if he was suddenly sleeping on the floor or was pressed against the headboard, Bruce might have. He leaned back against the strong body and raised his hand to work out the kinks in his neck, instead his fingertips brushed over Bruce’s cheek. He could feel him nuzzling into his hair.

It did not take long for him to wake up too and for a long time neither of them said or did anything. Only soft breathing was filling the room. Dick stared at the blank wall, mind occupied with sorting out the possibilities on how this could end. The tingling sensations of fingertips on his skin brought him back out of his musing and he bit his lip when soft nips on the back induced a full body shudder. He caught the others hands before they could advance any lower.  

“Wait” his voice sounded more clearly in the silence than he had wanted. Bruce halted and scooted away. Dick could nearly feel how every muscle in his body was beginning to tense and he wondered what it was that made Bruce so afraid.

“We need to talk,” he said after he had turned around. The blue eyes flickered to his bruised cheek. They were filled with guilt. Good.

“I don’t know what to say” Bruce admitted after a while and it honestly did not surprise Dick in the slightest.

“You could continue apologizing but we both know that will never be enough,” Dick said and Bruce actually flinched at that. He watched the reaction with worry but finally raised his body to sit up; legs pulled against his body and his chin settling on his knees “Tell me the truth.”

Bruce ran his hand through his hair and scooted up against the headboard. There was a tired look in his eyes that Dick did not like at all.    

 “Why did you do it? I told you not to search for them” Dick pressed on.

Bruce jaw tensed, eyes searching for a new focus until they stared right past him. Dick knew what Bruce was looking at, the painting of him and Cass. He had hung it up immediately after Damian had brought it. The itch under his skin told him that it would be easier for Bruce to lie to him by looking past him but he knew how much the picture meant. That there was just a slight chance that it would actually work better than eye contact to get the truth. And he needed the truth, badly.

“I had already searched for them” Bruce finally said, gaze focusing back on him.

Dick looked at him confused and slowly came to the revelation that he had only told him not to start searching after their second conversation. It would not justify Bruce’s actions afterwards but he could not accuse him of not keeping his promise either. The Court would have already figured out that they were being watched before Dick had met him again.    

“After I told you that they existed? When you did not believe me?”

“No, Dick,” Bruce said, voice grave and he hesitated before he spoke on “I realised they existed before I even knew you. I found you through them.”

“Oh.”

Dick was not able to say more for a few seconds. It felt like a stab in the heart and an unpleasant shiver went down his skin, his fingers digging into his arms.

“You really used me,” he said, voice monotone while the pressure on his chest increased and tears nearly shot up into his eyes again.

Bruce parted his lips, hand twitching at his sides but he decided against reaching out.

“I did.”

Confirmation did not make him feel any better. Bruce was watching him as if he expected to be thrown out immediately. Dick would have done it if it would have solved anything.  

“I knew you belonged to the Talons and that their leader wanted you back. What I did not know was why he was waiting. I planned to get information about them from you. You are after all the only person that has ever survived betraying them.”

Dick kept silent while his mind was haunted by the question how much Bruce had planned and how much he had left to coincidence.

“Before I even knew you my plan was to make the Club independent of us and slowly gather the information. I could take my time after all. And then you just told me everything I needed to know to figure the next steps out by myself because you felt obligated to it. You thought I deserved to know the truth.”

“You believed me?” Dick asked, voice rising while his mind still comprehended his words “and you still played me on?”

Bruce swallowed and contemplated his answer in such a monotone business-like way that he wanted to take revenge on his bruised cheek with a slap of his own. 

 “You had no reason to lie, you said it yourself.”

Bruce hesitated as if he wanted to say something to the accusation and Dick was not sure if his heated glare was the reason why Bruce refrained or if he was actually accepting it. Either way, he went on differently.

“It became clear why he had not taken you back yet. He wanted to use you as bait. He never forgot that there was still a brother he hated. They knew I was on their trail. It was probably them who helped me find you.”

Bruce stopped for a second, waiting for a reaction or trying to let Dick work out his emotions first.

 “You were right. Thomas and I are similar. He knew it too. He knew if he had been infatuated, obsessed with you then I would at least be interested in you.”

Dick did not miss the fact how careful Bruce had pronounced the word interested but it still did not sound better that way and if he had not been keen on hearing the end first he would have called him out on it. The fact was he had always wondered why Thomas had never come for him. He had expected him often enough. It sounded logical that they would have let him go because of a reason and it was a fact that Thomas thought his little brother was simply a cheap copy.

“I had to lure him out somehow and his obsession with you was the perfect bait. I knew if he thought that he would be losing you to me, he would try to get you back. But you had to stay unaware. He would have found out if you knew something, would have seen the change of behaviour. You would have revealed _everything_.”

Thomas had always been able to read him better than he himself. He had never been able to hide something from him. Not that he had taken a cookie out of the jar nor that he had been outside without his permission, not even his first crush had gotten unnoticed by Thomas. And his first crush had been something he had given his all to hide. He had never forgotten the look on her face when Thomas had crucified her over the door to his bedroom. 

“You used the secret passages to get in. Jason was not only the advance guard. You used him as a spy.”

The words rushed out of his mouth in a hurry before his thoughts could focus in on the question how exactly Bruce had made it clear to Thomas that he was losing him.     

“I knew you would be too suspicious to show them to me.”

“Seems as if I was not suspicious enough” or better Roy had not been suspicious at all. He pushed the accusation away. He did not even know who had shown Jason the passages. It could have easily been Kory and Donna too. All four of them had grown together. 

He closed his eyes, nails biting into the skin around his eyes when he brought them up. Braising himself for the answer to the most important question. 

“How, _Bruce_ , how did you make him _think_ he was losing me?”

What if everything had been a lie? What if Thomas had planned all this from the very beginning? From day one. What if Bruce had played _everything_? What if every action and every word had been unreal? What if the whole family had been involved?

He stared into blue eyes. Bruce had peeled his hands away, holding them in a lose grip.

“It’s not that, Dick. It’s not” he said forcefully, anger seeping into his words that was directed at himself “I would never do that to you.”

“Like all the other things you did not do to me?” he asked humourlessly, his lips twitching downwards while he tried to hold the agony at bay. “You can’t even tell me what _that_ is, you did not do. And I can’t read your thoughts, I refuse to _just_ believe.”

Bruce' hands tensed around his wrists and then he let go. For a moment, he thought Bruce would stand up, get dressed and leave. Because he could not imagine how such an emotionally constipated man like Bruce could ever just outright tell him. Then Bruce drew him close, arms winding around him, one hand settling in his hair. Dick could hear his heartbeat. He did not allow himself to cry and the silence was just one beat before Bruce spoke.  

“The truth is: I wanted the Club because of the court, there was no other reason. They were a thorn in my side I wanted to get rid of, no matter what I had to do. In the end I decided against taking the Club because you earned my respect. I became a patron like the contract said. Then I stayed and the only reason I talked to Helena was because you cared for her family. I choose to meet with her because I took a liking to you. I choose to trust you because you were just like one of the lost kids I had adopted over the years and you reminded me why I had done it in the first place. There was, there is and never will be justice for the children outside of the system.”

His heart was beating frantically in his chest, Dick could hear it clearly. His arms wound around the bigger frame, holding Bruce close because he could feel a tear-strained cheek against his.

“I am still here because I love you. And I know it’s hard to believe. I know that I deliberately hurt you because my own mission was more important to me. I know it was wrong to never tell you about it, to use you. If I could undo time I would find another way. I would go the hard way. But I can’t.”

Bruce sighed into his ear and Dick remained silent, shifting in the embrace and settling his chin on the strong shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Dick, for everything. For seeing you as a means to an end before I even met you and making the mistake to never leave that definition behind even though you mean so much more to me. For bringing your family into danger that I could as well have miscalculated, for lying to you and making you miserable, for hurting you so much. I know you said it’s not enough but I am.”

Dick sighed, arms tightening around Bruce.

“It would not have been enough if you had not said all those things before” he mumbled “So many people apologize only as a goal to feel better themselves but that’s not even the fear I had with you. I feared you would apologize as if you did nothing wrong.”

“Did you really think that?” Bruce asked the dejection heavy in his voice.

“Do you really have to ask that?” Dick responded and sighed when he could feel him tensing up again “You did apologize yesterday and I thought it was as sincere as you could get. I could not see you getting that emotional when I would have simply asked for it. I wanted to at least be happy with the things I had. And we both know you would not have apologized like this if I had just asked.”

Dick shifted out of the embrace, in time to see Bruce huff with a small frustrated smile on his lips. 

“No, I wouldn’t have.”

There was no real evidence that Bruce had really cried other than the slight red rim under his eyes. It was as if his body rejected the idea as much as Dick’s mind. It was the first somewhat funny thought he had had all day.

“I did not want to hit you.”

Dick blinked, focusing back on the man in front of him instead of his imagination, surprised that he had actually spoken the words instead of staring at the bruise with a guilty look.

“I did not want to say those things to you” responded Dick and watched Bruce while fingertips brushed over said cheek.

“It doesn’t justify that I hit you.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“It won’t” Dick confirmed, leaving a short peck on Bruce’s lips and standing up.

He was feeling better, somehow fresher, just more among the living than he had been feeling for the last weeks. The betrayal had hurt and he knew the trust he had felt for the man would not come back as easily. Bruce should have told him, just because he did get the reasons behind the secret did not mean he had to like it. Then again, Thomas could have found out about the plan and he could have easily been an agent for the Court to bring Bruce down. This was the worst start to a possible relationship he had ever had.                         

“I am about to forgive you,” he said slowly “I know you told me the truth.”

Perhaps he was a fool to trust him. Bruce would always overlook human relationships to go as far as he could. Perhaps he was making the biggest mistake of his life but there had to be a reason why so many people gathered around Bruce, why Damian had decided to stay. In a way, he knew why. Bruce was one of those men who could protect everyone from anything but not from themselves.    

“And I want to trust you with everything else because I love you. I just can’t, not yet. I need time for me. I need time to think” Dick said and held his hand up when Bruce opened his mouth “No. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to drop everything and disappear because that won’t solve anything. I don’t want to run after you because you will at some point gather all yourself hate and start brooding in the manor. I don’t want to waste my time with that while I still have my own baggage to carry. I need time with you too. Trust won’t come without me having new reasons. You are already here. I will have time alone more than enough.”

Bruce looked at him with an edge of worry in his eyes that seemed unfounded and he raised his eyebrow, making him speak.

“Are you sure? You refrained so much from telling me to leave. Would not now be a good time to get some distance? I told you a lot.”

“You want to leave Bruce? Then go. But if you go, then stay _away_ ” he said and it was perhaps a bit too hard to make everything depend on this one decision but it was the thing he had and the thing that felt right.

“I’ll give you time to decide” with those words Dick turned and walked into his bathroom. And it knocked the breath out of his lungs when the thought about Bruce leaving filled his mind in an instance. He tried to think about the fact that they had just held the conversation while Bruce had been stark naked and it nearly made him chuckle. But his thoughts just as fast turned back to the topic at hand. If Bruce left the love confession would be useless. Everything would be useless because everything would become untrue.

A frustrated scream erupted from his throat and he hit against the tiles with a loud bang. For a moment there was nothing but the sound of the water filling his ears and he concentrated gladly on the pain in his fist. He sighed and raked through his hair.

A knock on the door tamed the anxiety and was that not just pathetic?

“It’s open,” he said, turning the shower head off and looked at Bruce in all his naked glory. He certainly did not seem as if he planned to go anywhere.

“You will stay?” Dick asked slightly smiling and leaning against the tiles.

“Yes. I thought about your words and I think you know me pretty well, which is why I should listen to you” said Bruce responding with a smile of his own “I would not waste my time with a brooding self-loathing asshole as well.”

Dick huffed.

“But don’t get me wrong, if you are a brooding self-loathing asshole because of anyone else, then I will gladly kick your ass.”

“Good.”

Dick shook his head, not believing that he could have had this without the pain. Bruce nearly looked unsure what to do now and Dick was sure they both would benefit from a shower. 

“Wanna join me?” Dick asked smirking and held his hand out “Come on. I need someone to work out the kinks in my neck.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow, slowly turning his expressions back into the variety, less-stoic, stoic and full-stoic. Dick rolled his eyes and Bruce finally moved towards him. They kept a relaxing silence while cleaning themselves up and if he then and now flicked foam towards Bruce to annoy him than that only happened because Bruce had teased him first.

He leaned his head against the tiles, when Bruce began working out the tension in his neck and wondered how many people would believe him if he told them that even with Bruce Wayne nothing sexual had happened in this shower.

“I wanted to speak to you about Thomas,” said Bruce carefully when the silence had lasted a few moments longer. Dick hummed, interest picked.  

“He is held in an artificial coma at the moment. You should decide what is to be done with him.”             

Dick was surprised by that decision. Perhaps Bruce simply wanted to show him that he was trusted and perhaps, in the end, show that Dick could actually trust Bruce.

“He is your brother” responded Dick, knowing that the sibling relationship had been the whole conflict after all.

“He raised you. It’s not my decision anymore, at least not mine alone.”

The thing was Dick did not want to decide, he did not want the responsibility. He had already enough of that and the man who had loved him like a son in his own twisted version, was not someone he had ever wanted to decide life or death over. He had always wished for his death, dreamed about it as an unreachable goal but actively deciding it? He had never thought it would happen.

“Alfred should decide” he mumbled. Thomas had always held onto the memories involving Alfred, the butler had been his personal saviour.

“We don’t know this Thomas,” said Bruce slowly, his fingers drawing patterns on Dick’s back. “You do. He is” but Bruce cut himself off before he could say more and Dick sighed frustrated.

“He is _my_ Thomas, ” he said smiling bitterly “He did not turn out like this because of me.”

“I know.”

Dick bit his lips, turning around and looking up at Bruce.

“Alright, I will think about it.”

There was obvious relieve in the blue eyes.

“Thank you.”

It would have shocked him to hear Bruce apologize so easily if he had not seen him do much more already. Dick smiled and their lips met in a soft kiss that turned heated when they raked their hands in each other’s hair. Going further than this thou, was still not an option.

Bruce had already folded their clothes on a neat pile. He slipped into jogging pants and a faded shirt while Bruce had to wear most of his suit again.

Luckily no one was in the kitchen when they arrived. It was not as if he wanted to hide the fact mostly because it would be stupid to but also because they had to know already. There was just no motivation to answer questions. The fresh bread indicated that at least Wally was up or had been. Rachel was probably already running around somewhere, she was a morning person always waking up with dawn no matter what time it was.

Bruce settled down into the chair opposite of him a steaming black cup of coffee in front of him and Dick raised his eyebrow when he had not taken a plate with him while slicing open the peach to mix it with his morning yoghurt cereal.

“Did Alfred never tell you that breakfast is important?” he asked chidingly. He knew Bruce was always stressed in some way or another but he had thought the man would live from something different than just a coffee in the morning. At least it explained why he had always been that hungry when he had come to the bistro. 

“He did more often than not,” said Bruce shrugging, his eyes wandering over the interior “It’s mostly forced down my throat if I can’t escape before regular breakfast.”

Dick looked at him unbelievingly and then held one peach slice over the table.

“At least eat fruits or something. Honestly, Bruce” he said snorting, a smile on his lips. Bruce stared at his hand and the little devilish grin was all Dick got as a warning before he was yanked forward by his hand. He had barely enough time to brace one hand at the table before he could fall over. Their eyes locked.

“Eating out of your palm could get interesting,” said Bruce and Dick could not get his mouth shut when he took the peach into his mouth while swirling his tongue over the sticky fingers until the fruit flavour had disappeared. Bruce pressed a kiss against his palm his lips stroking down to his wrist and Dick’s breath hitched.

“Alright”

Dick yanked his hand away when he heard Wally’s drawl, looking at his friend in surprise with a slight blush tinting his cheeks.  

Wally looked at them suspiciously, his gaze narrowing when it fell on his bruised cheek and then the green eyes focused on Bruce.

“I wanted this to happen actively after you got along so well” he said and Bruce scoffed “Now I would rather break your spine and I have no idea why Dick did not.”

Bruce tilted his head, gaze narrowed. Right, Bruce had never liked Wally. 

“I appreciate how protective you are but Dick will surely decide when _breaking my spine_ would be necessary on his own.”

Wally made a disdainful sound and Dick knew he would have to answer some questions. His friend let himself fall in a chair beside them as if daring Bruce to touch him again in his presence. It was kind of refreshing to see Wally completely anti-Bruce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the later update but I have much more to do at the moment.  
> 
> I will try to hold the weekly schedule for the two last chapters but they will be **online on Sundays.**


	18. Prayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are nearly at the end!  
> The last chapter will only be an epilogue but it's probably still going to be longer than the prologue.

“Still can’t believe you and him are together,” said Helena, café sitting in front of them for the early meeting. He could not help but shrug.

It had taken a while to get back what they had lost. The hurt had not gone away overnight. He had been happy for the moments but when they were over the doubt had returned, had rebounded every time. Something like the Court of Owls did not simply escape his mind. He had needed years to distance himself from them emotionally. Reconciling had kept on for months over lunch and dinner, over the movie nights he had forced Bruce to attend, over actually showing themselves in public. It had helped that Bruce had actively tried to make him comfortable again.

The most surprising thing had probably been the changes to the manor. The salon had been painted in a rich green after Alfred had suggested the colour and a few pictures had been exchanged with Damian’s paintings. Old sculptures had been destroyed and if he had not stopped them they would probably have ripped out a wall for him.

He grinned, after a sip of the brewing drink.

“I could not believe that we became friends with benefits after we failed to form a romantic relationship.”

Helena escaped a short laugh but then her expression became serious again.

“Let’s get down to business,” she said, leaning forwards. Chin on her folded hands “You are here on his behalf. What does he want?”

Dick knew she was still not that fond of him. The meeting would not go as smoothly as he was used to. It was the reason why he was sitting in front of her and not Bruce. Not that Bruce had simply shifted his responsibilities onto him. He would never do that, but Clark had asked him to come after a contract with Luthor had gone up in flames, literally.

It was still a bit dumb on his lover’s part. Dick would, after all, give Helena much more than Bruce would want. But perhaps that was even his plan. Bruce had tried to get back into Helena’s good graces since she had found out about the incident.

“You know he started to hunt the remaining Court Members and Talons after he caught Thomas.”

Helena nodded.

“I can help,” she said and huffed “but I do not think that is what he has in mind?”

Dick knew she was already pissed. He knew Bruce had come to her only a month prior but he had no idea what they had talked about and he did not dare to ask now. It was too late anyway.

“No, Bruce views the Court’s territory as Wayne territory.”

Helena narrowed her eyes at him but Dick spoke on before she could say anything, holding a hand up to stop her before she could do more than twist her mouth.

“The Court territory nearly runs through all of Gotham. There are tunnels below the city that reach every part. Bruce does not want them but there are a few bigger facilities bordering on his territory and those are the ones he wants back” he halted shortly when Helena slapped his still raised hand away “In the case of your territory it comes down to The Hill.”

“No,” Helena said firmly, rising like a cobra “He already got a part of our north territory when we negotiated _for you_. He can’t have the rest of the docks.”

She rounded the table and came nearer, rage radiating from her. He could see the bodyguards moving out of the corner of his eyes and felt the hair on his neck rising. Her eyes were only slits when she stood in front of him and he raked his neck to look up at her. Ignoring the two men standing behind his back, Helena would never let them shoot.   

“There won’t be any consequences when I sent you home and I will do just that. Tell him I said no. Tell him he can try to mess with another family. Tell him he better thinks about who his allies and who his enemies are” she growled and if Dick would have been a simple goon, he would have run for his life. Instead he leaned back, smiling up at her. She stared down at him, nostrils flaring and her arms akimbo.

“We both know you won’t do anything to me if I stay,” he said and felt her legs bump against his when she stepped forward to threaten him.

“Let us negotiate. You know I don’t have the same goals as Bruce but the facility is important.”

Helena pressed her lips together, silent for a short moment.

“Why is it important? What’s in there?”

“The pits” Dick responded and when he saw the frown on her lips he added “My pit.”

Not that Bruce knew that. He simply wanted the strategic point and the plans that lay down there. They included the plans for the tunnels.

“You are lying” Helena shot back but he knew she was uncertain, could see it in her eyes.

“You know I wouldn’t lie about that, never about the pit.”

She stared at him for a long time trying to deduce if he was saying the truth and ultimately she would decide that he was not lying because she had seen him wake up from the dreams, had been with him when they had been the worst, when they had let him rip open his skin, when they had made him attack her and when they had made him wish he was dead.

Her defence was broken with a sigh, her shoulders slumping and she suddenly looked older than she was. An apology burned on his lips but he remained silent.    

“Alright, what can you give me? You know what’s down there, anything we could use?”

Dick sat up properly when she took place in front of him again.

“Plans about the tunnels and given that the facility is a trainings-facility, there should also be documents about the missing children you have been searching for years.”

Helena nodded slightly.

“You think they were all down there?”     

“Most of them.”

She gritted her teeth frustrated, running a hand through her wild locks.

“I thought we could still find them.”

“I know.”

They kept their silence for a while and then Helena spoke up again.

“The plans for the tunnels and certainty are all great but I need more. I need the docks. They are much less controlled by the police then the ones in the east.”

Dick bit his lip, hesitating.

“I’ll get him to give you two.”

“Five” she shot back.

“Three.”

“Five.”

“No.”

“Dick” she growled.

“No, I will never be able to convince him to give you that many.”

“Four.”  

He relaxed, hid a grin and nodded.

“Four docks, certainty and the plans,” Dick said, grin spreading over his lips “Not that Bruce will know about the plans, that’s my support.”

Helena shook her head, letting out a bark.

“Already betraying him? That’s not really charming” she said a bit sharper than she had probably wanted but trust was tricky in their business. He tilted his head.  

“I’m not betraying him. I know them by heart. I could draw them on a napkin, here, right now.”

And so he did.

It was strange walking out of the house with bodyguards behind Helena. They had never bothered with them after the first few times and it was strange to keep such a distance from her overall. He really had not visited her officially that often but perhaps that had also been the case because nobody had known before that he was a trained assassin.

Alfred was already there to get him and he shook Helena’s hand as a goodbye.

“How was it?” Alfred asked when the doors closed, clicking shut to provide a soundproof atmosphere and Dick was already typing in his lover’s number.

“Good. Bruce got what he wanted.”

A chuckle on his ear was his response.

“Did I?” Bruce asked.

“I promised her we would look up the document for the missing children and she got four docks.”

It was silent on the other end for a short while and Dick grinned.

“Four?”

Dick hummed.

“I told you to give her five.”

“Yes, and I did not tell you what the fifth means.”

Bruce kept silent and Dick could practically see how he battled curiosity and irritation at the same time.

“Tell me” was finally the begrudged response.

“ _His_ safe. There are so many old photos and documents from before the accident. I thought you would want them but there is also some other tricky stuff in there. And to speak frankly, I do not trust either of you two with it. You would never get what it means.”  

It was silent again, even longer this time.

“Thank you.”

He was surprised that Bruce had nothing to say about his last words but he did not let that surprise show.  

“Thank me tonight,” he said, chuckling “You will be back by then, won’t you?”

Bruce hummed at the other end.

“I guess. I’ll be up in the air soon and the meeting with the Falcons should go smoothly.”  

Dick could not help roll his eyes at that response but did not say anything about it. He hung up shortly after, when they arrived at the hospital. The security guards greeted him at the entrance. They knew him by now. He had come to see Thomas every week since Bruce had told him where they held him. When he walked into the room his somewhat foster father was still sleeping.

Dick took the apple off of the tablet and begun to cut it into eatable sizes. He could not believe that the man he had known was now trapped in the pale and thin body lying in front of him. The appearance was nearly unrecognizable. It was nothing compared to the wall he had known, the wall that had kept him away from everything. 

By the time he was finished the older male had woken up and was scrutinizing him with drained eyes. Even though he seemed weak, Dick still felt as if he was looking right through him, dissecting him.

 “You should stop coming,” he said. At least the voice was still the same, deep and sharp, commanding. 

“I would like to but I can’t,” said Dick pushing an apple between his lips. He knew that his foster father was not eating well enough. It was visible enough under the thin sheets.

 “I hate you” he admitted and waited for him to finish chewing “but I don’t want you to be abandoned again.”

Thomas looked up at him with dark eyes and Dick gave him another slice. His wrist was caught but the grip was powerless compared to the bone crushing strength he was used to.

“You should have killed me.”

“Perhaps” he mumbled, avoiding the dark eyes but was ultimately drawn back to them “I spent my life running from you without ever hiding and now I am walking back to you every week. This is not what I wanted or how I thought it would end.”

No, everything had turned out so differently, he could not help but grit his teeth when a sense of frustration crawled back to him.

“I always knew you would win, that you would come for me. And then Bruce Wayne foiled your plans and proofed me wrong.”

He licked his lips, seeing Thoma's eyes light up dangerously when he spoke out his brother’s name.

“Tell me” he begun, taking a deep breath “did you plan to get him through me? Was that the reason why you let me go?”

Thomas chuckled lowly, a grin spreading over his lips that stretched them far wider than it should be possible and Dick nearly twitched back when Thomas patted his arm.

“Was that what he told you? Do you want me to tell you it’s the truth, little one?” Thomas sighed pleasantly and shook his head pitifully, knuckles brushing over Dick’s cheek in a mocking caress.

“He is my brother. He is a born manipulative liar. Just like everyone in our family ever was.”

Dick closed his eyes and he turned away from the touch, a little smile forming on his lips.

“You are right I should stop coming,” Dick said and stood up. _It hurt to leave, every time. It hurt so much._ He had expected the answer, had been warned by Cass as well, but it had still been worth a try. This man had been his cage and he had to do this his own way. “This is your pit and you made it yourself.”

The bed rattled behind him but Thomas would never stand up again and Dick walked on, forcing his legs to _just_ go.

“No! Richard, wait! Wait!”

He did not look back even though he could hear the screams, even though he wanted to turn around and run back to the hospital to say sorry.

“You can’t do this to me! I always took you out!”

The door closed behind him and he simply stood there for a moment. 

Alfred was waiting outside in front of the car, looking at him and Dick walked on, glad that Alfred asked no further questions. They drove in silence through the city.

He had no idea what to do with the man in the hospital bed. Even the state would have given him death for his crimes. But did Thomas deserve it? Dick had never been opposed to killing. He had taken a distance from the cruel way but being in this business had not prevented taking lives.

“What would Bruce have done with him?” he asked Alfred and the butler looked up through the rear-view mirror.

“I am sure Master Bruce already answered that question.”

Dick opened his mouth wanting to say whatever he had thought would make sense but then again, Bruce had told him. If they would have never known each other Thomas would be dead. He was only alive as payback for the pain he had caused. Dick had never wished the pain of the Talons on anyone else nor did he think that anyone but them knew the pain.

“You have not visited him. I’m the only one” he finally said.

“No, the Master Thomas I knew died in another hospital years ago.”

Dick sighed, head leaning against the window. He could feel tears burning in his eyes and he did not know why.

“I told him I would not come again” he spoke breathlessly. Alfred’s eyes softened but his voice was as neutral as ever when he spoke.

“I believe you spoke with Miss Cassandra about all this?”

“I did but it was about Bruce and my” Dick stopped, biting his lip. He did not want to remember the fights they had waged because of his psychological conditions “about the feeling of dependence I still have towards Thomas.”

He could not bring the words Stockholm syndrome over his lips. Thomas had not been his father for a long time now and he had never craved to return to him after he had gotten away but seeing him now did something to him. It brought back the times he had been able to be himself through his tormentor and even though he favoured remaining in denial, he still knew it was not good.   

“He can always decide by himself, can’t he? It’s still his life, right?” he spoke on, hastily just to get back to the topic at hand.  

“If you really think he can decide on his own without simply saying it to give up responsibility, then you are certainly right. Cassandra and I will always help you when you need advice. You simply have to ask us” for a short moment it seemed as if Alfred was finished but then he spoke up again “But please refrain from asking the others.”

Dick stared at him and then laughed.

“You don’t trust them to make the right decision?”

“Do you Master Richard?” the butler asked only half amused.

“Well, you have a point I guess,” he said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling of the car.

Not being able to decide was messing with his head and now that he had left him behind--he had to find a decision. Perhaps he could ask Tim? The boy was objective enough.

“Or I could ask someone entirely different” he mumbled, suddenly realising that his first thought might have been the right one. He leaned up again.

“Alfred?”

“Master Richard?”

“Do you think Bruce would mind if I have the car a bit longer?”

He cringed a bit when he realised that they were one street away from the manor but Alfred only sighed good naturally and drove into the new directions.

He said his goodbyes and got out of the car. Bruce would be back soon and his visit would probably take a good few hours. He stepped into the building and took the stair up to one of the higher apartments. His eyes fell onto the name and he stood there for a while, collecting his thought and then he knocked. It did not take long for it to open.

“Dick?” Barbara asked shocked, her eyes wide and mouth fallen open and they stood in front of each other for a full second before they took each other in an awkward embrace, all flailing limps.

“I have not seen you in years. What are you doing here?” she asked laughing when they drew back, hands still on each other’s shoulders.

He smiled slightly. Even after all this time it still felt a bit like coming home. With her messy bun and glasses on her eyes she looked exactly like he had last seen her, when they both had drunken through the night because he would take the next flight out of America.  

“I kind of need your help,” he said sheepishly and Barbara raised one of her perfect eyebrows.

“What did I expect?” she said rolling her eyes but tugged him in regardless, closing the door behind them and herding him to the kitchen table. Then she made coffee.

His gaze was drawn to the police badge on her kitchen counter, right next to the hand gun.

“You made it, huh?” he asked fondly and Barbara shrugged, stirring her own half full cup but then a grin spread over her face.

“To hell, why can’t I keep secrets around you?” she asked and leaned against the counter “I am seconds away from being Commissioner, even though my father does not want me too. You know how he is.”

Dick stared at her.

“You are joking. Your father would blackmail the department if that was the case. Your father blackmailed them when you started to _speak_ about joining the police _academy_.”

Barbara shook her head.

“See? Called it. You know him” she said and took the now steaming cup with her, settling in front of him “I’ll be going to Blüdhaven. You told me so much about it.”

The smile on her lips was nearly lyrical and Dick wanted to tell her it was the worst idea she could have had. But he knew that Barbara could pull it off and if someone had offered her the job than Amy had to be on top somewhere, which was good. They talked for a while about her hopefully new job, it felt good to speak about the, from so many abandoned, city with someone who actually enjoyed the place.

“How can I help you?” Barbara finally asked, looking at him curiously and Dick sighed, hand carding through his hair. No word came across his lips while he stared down into his coffee. This was it. Either he would back out or not, either he would finish it or keep the baggage. Her gaze grew worried and he smiled softly, reassuring her.

“It’s harder to say than I thought it would be” he admitted, a bit shakily but then he got a grip on himself again “I told you about this man, Thomas, you remember?”

She frowned but nodded.

“The one who made you kill and kept you as a prisoner?”

Dick had never grown used to the direct way Barbara spoke about it but it was his fault for not telling her everything.

“Yes, that one,” he said and sighed, tapping at his cup of coffee, heart thrumming in his chest. “I can give you his whereabouts. I finally have him.”

Barbara studied him and he looked away.

“You did not kill him?” was the plumb question

He stared at her and Barbara let out a surprised sound. She squeezed his hand, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Dick. I did not mean it like that. It’s just” she licked her lips and sighed “forget it. It was dump.”  

Dick shook his head.

“No, no it’s not. It’s a justified question. I mean I played with the thought” _at least when he tried to kill my friends_.

Barbara leaned back and seemed relieved.

“That’s good, Dick.”

He could not help but think that this was how she presented herself to suspects too, with plump questions and hasty apologizes just to analyze them.

“I would still like to do it anonymously if it’s alright?” he asked hoping that she would understand and she did. He gave her the address of the hospital and promised to bring documents to her that had enough proof of his deeds to lock him up by the end of the week. He did not go right away and Barbara seemed happy about it. 

She had told him how she had managed to get accepted by the force even with her father’s resistance. It was strange and frustrating that he could hardly tell her what he was doing now or had been doing. Then she started talking about Bruce Wayne and Dick nearly cringed when it became apparent that Helena and she had formed the same opinion about him. Good that at least Kory did not speak to him about her opinion.

“Stay in contact this time, alright?” she said, leaning against the door “I did miss you.”

“I’d love to,” he said placing a kiss on her cheek and as much as she could not keep her secrets around him, he could not keep his either “The Titans Club. You can meet me there.”

Her eyes widened slightly but then she huffed. She knew what the club was and he just hoped she would not cut him loose, like she had done with Helena.

“You idiot” she hissed and he would have enjoyed nicer words more but the short hug was enough to show him that there was still a chance to keep at least in touch somehow.

 _This was it_ , he thought while walking through the streets that had been his home for years. He would not return to the hospital and he would not come for his death. This was over and it felt good.  

When he walked through the door Bruce was just stepping into the limousine again and Dick was nearly disappointed that he had missed the few minutes his lover had been home. Bruce embraced him, pressing a kiss to his lips as a greeting and Dick chuckled softly.

“Where were you?” Bruce asked, looking him over as if he expected someone had laid a finger on him. Dick rolled his eyes.

“I took care of the problem that is Thomas Wayne.”

Bruce raised his eyebrow, frowning and Dick stopped himself from sighing exaggeratingly.

“Don’t act so surprised. I was not planning to carry the baggage forever.” 

“It was still fast, are you sure it’s the right decision?”

“I am sure,” he said “I talked to someone I trust.”

Bruce did look far from convinced for a second and as if he was ready to doubt him for minutes and Dick was so done with that doubt that his eyes might have narrowed a bit too much.

“Alright if it’s your choice” Bruce finally said.

“How much effort did admitting cost you?” he asked grinning and Bruce growled at him. He kissed him to keep him from answering and Bruce let it happen, drawing it out when Dick wanted to pull back.

“I’ll be back soon. Greetings from Clark.”

Cassandra was standing in front of him before he had barely set a foot into the manor, looking up at him expectantly.

“I might have had a little breakdown?” he said sheepishly and was hugged shortly and forcefully, body nearly smacking back against the door. “It’s alright. I found a solution.”

Cassandra smiled relieved.

“You still need something to cheer you up,” she said mysteriously and Dick was tugged into the girls room with more force than strictly necessary.  Damian looked like grumpy cat personified, sitting on one of the pillows with crossed legs and crossed arms, but Stephanie was grinning as if she had just eaten a canary. It was a disturbing image and Dick wondered how he had come to be in this crazy family.

He was nearly pushed down into the pillow castle and then they started watching Cinderella for the sixteenth time. He should have shown Cassandra another movie because by now all four of them were able to act all the parts, from different versions. Tim thought they were absolutely embarrassing and could not believe that Damian was with them on this or that they could randomly start singing. Which was why they started singing So This Is love every time Connor visited. They liked to disturb the two teens with the _Mmmmmm_ parts.  

Dick knew it was far from morning when he woke up and he sleepily looked up at Bruce, letting out a grumble to ask what his damn problem was. Then he remembered that he was not in his bed.

He freed his arm from under Damian and stretched it out to grab onto Bruce, not sure if he wanted to add him to the pile or if he wanted to be carried off. Both options seemed good until Cassandra grabbed onto him and fighting against her seemed futile. Even in sleep but then she let go again, probably deciding that nobody was in danger. He looked up at Bruce expectantly. For a moment he thought Bruce would give up and simply lay down with them then he was swept up and could not help but grin.

“Please tell me you did not watch Cinderella _again_ ” he whispered, shutting the door and Dick snorted, pressing his lips to his ear.

“If your dilly, dilly heart  
Feels a dilly, dilly way” he chirped and, laughed when he heard Bruce groan in frustration.

“And if you’ll answer ‘Yes’  
In a pretty church.”

Bruce kissed him and spoke against his lips.

“On a dilly, dilly day  
You’ll be wed in a dilly, dilly dress.  
_I know, Dick._ And in the beginning I hoped you four would at least stay with the one Disney cartoon. When did it become _this_?”

“Aww come on, you just proofed that you know the lyrics too. You have no right to complain.”

He was unceremoniously dropped onto the bed and a surprised sound left his lips before they were sealed. His arms wound around the strong neck and he opened his mouth, letting Bruce in. It was a slow fight over dominance, sensual and by the time they parted it felt as if he could taste Bruce on his lips. Dick brushed dark hair out of his eyes.

“It’s late Bruce” he whispered and Bruce nodded, dropping down beside him. Dick snuggled closer and was promptly taken into a half embrace, lips pressed to his shoulder.

“What did you decide? What will happen to Thomas?”

Dick stared into the darkness.

“He’ll die, Bruce, through the law of justice.”


	19. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry, that it took so long. But I simply could not find the right epilogue and I tried because I wrote five.  
> But I guess you won't want the epilogue anymore after reading it, which means it's probably better that it's late.

_“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”_

_– Orson Welles_

 

 

“Only my little brother has come. What a shame. I was so excited to see my little bird again.”

Bruce prided himself to have his rage under control but his brother made it incredibly hard. All he wanted to do was to hear the breaking of at least one bone if not all of them.

“He is not your little bird, has never been.”

Thomas grinned.

“Oh, he has been,” he said, humming as if remembering something incredibly good and Bruce hated it because he had no idea which memory his brother had drawn to the surface “But you are right. He is yours to break now. Only because I broke him before, obviously, you tend to like them that way.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes, teeth cracking. He knew his reputation, he had taken in those who wanted his guidance after the world had taken everything from them and perhaps he held onto them a bit too firmly. Still, it had never sounded that negative. Not even when Jason had accused him of the very same thing.

“I won’t do what you did.”

He had seen the pits, the torture instruments that even now still looked monstrous. And the pits themselves were cold, black and deep. Walls painted in a black substance Dick had called blood. Every time he thought about a child in one of those cages his stomach turned. He had no idea how they, _how he_ , had survived down there. Even Damian had looked disturbed and he had never seen such a resigned look on Cassandra’s face. As if she had hoped that Dick and she were more different.

“I won’t break him.”

“Oh but you nearly did that so wonderfully. I was really impressed” said Thomas, a glint in his eyes that showed pure excitement “Just a little push more and he would have shattered into tiny pieces, ready to be put together by your hand.”

All the rage he felt towards that man could not stop the spark of guilt. But he kept the uncomfortable feeling at bay. He could not show any weakness in front of him.

“You lost. Dick mended himself.”

Bruce did not want to think about how everything would have turned out if Dick had not been able to cope. It had been a plan that was failsafe at least for his family and he had disregarded any other effect because of it. It felt stupid now, unfair to simply think that his goal had been more important. Dick should hate him more, probably all of the Titans. In a way he was grateful that West was still showing his animosity so obviously.

“No matter what you think, you will be dead when the nurse steps out of this room.”

A spark of rage hushed across Thomas' face but it was soon replaced by a superior smile again. Bruce knew Thomas feared death. It was a primal fear made stronger after their parents had left him and he grinned, using the fear to seem even more powerful.

“You will rot in hell.”

Thomas snorted, fear slightly replaced by disbelief. Bruce knew that religious anecdotes meant nothing to him. It did mean nothing to him either. Even though he believed that if there was something like hell. Thomas would end there. Most of them would.

“Your last moments will be fire.”

Angry blue eyes stared at him but the grin was still on his face, a weak attempt to hide his fear.

“Altering the substance, clever.”

Bruce smiled slightly and with a last glance he started to walk out of the room, ready to watch his brother’s life end in agony. How often had he pictured this ending? He had just thought he would simply shoot him.

“You don’t get what he is. Talons are coded. Prime sleeper agents.”

He froze slightly, the nonchalant tone making him twitch and for a second he could only think about Dick, standing in the manor, blood dripping down his clothes, dead look in his eyes.

“Liar,” he said letting the word roll over his tongue.

“Perhaps?” Thomas sing-song-ed, cackling in his bed and Bruce wanted to bury a bullet in his head, more than one. Instead he smiled reassuringly at the nurse. He had tried to tell himself out of altering his death experience, now he knew he had made the right decision.

He slipped his phone out, staring through the mirror to observe the death. He wanted to make sure that Thomas would really be dead this time.

Three long rings were enough to make him anxious, while he watched the sweating form of Thomas, knowing he would start trashing soon. The nurse looked worried, not that she would be able to change anything.

“Bruce?”

He closed his eyes, breathing through and enjoyed hearing his voice, just when Thomas began trashing. The last thing he saw was the shocked nurse, hands in front of her mouth while she backed away. The security would come in to fix him down but they were his men, the syringe would disappear.

“What’s wrong?” asked Dick, worry swinging in his voice as if he expected to find Thomas in front of his door, ready to end what he had begun.

“Nothing” he answered, looking at the trashing figure again. There would be no traces left. Crane had perfected his fear toxin ages ago and he was glad that he had kept one vial after he had finally disposed of the man.

“You wouldn’t call if it was nothing,” Dick said firmly, probably standing in front of his one-way mirror looking over the Club. Bruce could picture the frown on his lips and it made his skin itch because he had put it there. “What did he say?”

Bruce licked his lips, watching the body losing the fight while Thomas' face was contorted in fear.

“That you are coded, a sleeper agent”

It was silent on the other end and Thomas stilled. Bruce could feel his lips twitch at the sight.

“He did?” Dick asked but it seemed more like a statement, resignation apparent in his voice.

“Can you come to the manor?”

There was silence again when he stepped into the waiting car and he heard low murmuring.

“I’ll be there” was the faltering answer and Bruce could hear the desperation behind it, could hear the unspoken question and he hated that Dick was thinking that those words could have changed anything. And he knew it was his own fault that Dick was so fast to step back. Perhaps he should just let him go. Perhaps finishing this would be easier.

“Dick” he knew this would not do, would never be enough “I love you.”

When he came into his room an hour later to see Dick leaning against the desk, hands curled around the wood and eyes rising to look at him, with an expression of a shunned dog, Bruce knew Thomas had been right. Dick was still breaking, every day.

He tugged him close, felt his hands tentatively clutching at his suit and Bruce carded his hands through the black hair. He could feel the thin scars all over his scalp, scars he did not know the origin to and perhaps never would. There was still so much he did not know.

“He is gone and I promise you, I won’t let him destroy anything, least of all my trust in you.”

Dick clutched onto him tighter, hesitation lost and Bruce wound his arms around him fully, placing his chin on top of his head. They just stood like this for a while until Bruce could feel Dick relax.

“It would do you good to leave Gotham for a bit” he whispered and Dick looked up at him, eyes shiny.

“I thought about Seville” he mused, kissing him, surprised that Dick was responding hungrily “I know it was the last country you visited with the Circus before Gotham.”

Dick hummed against his lips when they parted.

“Sounds great but I don’t think it’s possible.”

Bruce looked at him with observant eyes and in his mind he could admit that he did not fully understand. Dick smiled slightly. It looked sad and Bruce’ features softened but the man in his arms simply shrugged.

“I did not get it, Bruce, even after you told me what Thomas wanted. This is all about you.”

Bruce stroked over his nose down to his chin. It evoked a small laugh and Dick kissed him again, slowly and languidly. He nearly did not feel the prick at his neck.

“The attack on the Club, it was all part of the plan to destroy you. I was just the means to an end.”

He could barely open his mouth when the syringe clattered to the floor. His vision was swimming. Dick was staring down at him, measured look in his eyes. The _don’t_ was barely able to cross his lips.

Dick tilted his head like he had seen all the Talons he had found do. It looked animalistic. Even without clear focus he could see the black veins slowly spreading from a point on his throat over his body. The injury Thomas had caused there during the fight, how had he been so dumb?

“Stop fighting it,” Dick said unfazed “Just accept that I will be gone when you wake up.”

But Bruce did not let go of the fabric he was still clutching and Dick flinched when he fell onto him instead of the ground. Even with his skin growing numb, the sigh still tickled his skin.

“So damn stubborn” Dick hissed and despite the anger in his voice, Bruce could feel his body being lowered down gently while he desperately tried to keep his grab. He could not even move his fingertips when Dick stood up from his crouch. There was a short moment in which Dick hesitated, the moment before his vision turned black and the last thing he felt was a soft caress over his cheek.

Where was Cassandra when he needed her the most?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, this was the nicest epilogue I wrote, so... yeah.


End file.
